Vague or explicit LGBT campaigns?

 by David Renner, FH OutFront

Recently I wrote about the potential of the LGBT target group and about the characteristics which all members of this diverse community have in common. In this post I want to present you two advertising strategies to target gay consumers via mainstream media and discuss some problems or reservations that are related with these strategies.

Generally, before talking about strategies I define a gay marketing campaign as all communicational messages targeting gay consumers by implicit or explicit homosexual references. This can vary from vaguely implying of a same-sex attraction, to an undisguised promoting of gay imagery. This is a very easy distinction but you can classify every gay advertising campaign along this dimension.

Read the rest of the article on FH OutFront

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ISRAELI STUDY FINDS THAT OPENLY GAY SERVICEMEMBERS DO NOT UNDERMINE MILITARY COHESION

The study can be found here: http://bit.ly/PAxJI3

The presence of openly gay soldiers does not undermine unit cohesion, according to a new statistical analysis of the Israel Defense Force (IDF) sponsored by the Palm Center and authored by Danny Kaplan of Bar Ilan University and Amir Rosenmann of the University of Haifa. “As we reach the one year anniversary of repeal of the United States military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” (DADT) policy, this new study responds to the central concern that an integrated military would harm cohesion,” said Aaron Belkin, director of the Palm Center.

The authors surveyed 417 male Israeli soldiers from 22 military installations. Statistical analysis of responses to the survey indicated that for both combat and non-combat units, the presence of openly gay troops in a unit had no relationship to the cohesiveness of the unit. Israel has allowed gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military since 1993.

Prior to the repeal of DADT in September 2011, some military and political leaders predicted that a policy of open service would undermine unit cohesion in the U.S. military.

The new study of the IDF, entitled Unit Social Cohesion in the Israeli Military as a Case Study of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, appears in the current issue of Political Psychology and is available at http://www.palmcenter.org/. For the Palm Center’s earlier analysis of gays and lesbians in the IDF, see http://www.palmcenter.org/files/IsraelShortOnline(2)_0.pdf



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Pictorama: Make Money Taking Pictures

 The LGBT loves using their cameras on their smart phones and we just discovered a new app for you to actually make money from your pics. Introducing Pictorama! The app allows users to sell their pictures on our marketplace where international buyers can get stock photos that can be time and geo-tagged for half the price of a traditional microstock agency

Download the  Pictorama app and give it a try.

The Pictorama site.

The video:

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President Obama's New LGBT Rights Ad

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Sin City ShootOut

This 4 day sports festival brings over 6,000 LGBT athletes from across north America to compete in 4 days of Softball, basketball, Wrestling, Body building, Ice Hockey, Soccer, Dodgeball, Golf, Ultimate Frisbee, Bridge, Volleyball and Tennis competitions at different venues across the las vegas valley.

Since 2007, las vegas has been the host to this growing gay and lesbian sports competition. It is widely known to be the largest annual LGBT sports festival in the world.

Tournament Director Eric Ryan states “we plan this event from the view point of the athlete. We take into consideration that they are traveling to las vegas to compete against the best of the best and to go along with that, make sure we provide the best venues Las Vegas has to offer, as well as the best hotels and clubs to let loose in”.

Each night there are official host venues to give the athletes a meeting place off the field, as well as a central host hotel. The official host hotel for 2013 is the new Tropicana Las Vegas.

This event is open to the public and they are encouraged to attend the competitions as well as enjoy the nightly venues crowded with 1,000’s of LGBT athletes.

In 2007 tournament director Eric Ryan, from the Greater Los Angeles Softball Association, came to las vegas to plan a softball tournament and In just 6 short years, the event has morphed into a true lgbt winter sports festival. Each year they plan to add more sports as this  event continues to grow every year, calling las vegas its home.

More information can be found at www.sincityshootout.com

San Diego Mayor Advocates For Freedom To Marry

In an ad set to air in the Tampa area during the Republican National Convention next week, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders speaks out about his support for the freedom to marry and encourages others in his party to do the same.

"As a Republican, I believe in conservative values like responsibility and limited government," Sanders says in the ad, titled "Family and Freedom," a project of the Human Rights Campaign and Freedom to Marry. 


 

NGLCC Honors Ernst & Young

19 Year Old Kevin Michael Barba -"Wealth is a state of mind"

Move over Kim Kardashian. Take a seat, Paris Hilton. At 18-years-old, Kevin Michael Barba may have his sights set on a life in the spotlight, but he has no interest in joining the long list of spoiled socialites who came before him. With the launch of his lifestyle line The Kevin Michael Barba Collection, which made its television debut on MTV International, Barba is hoping to show the world that “wealth is a state of mind.”

“People like to hate you before they love you. I took that approach as a joke — I had no idea where to look. But you know what? It worked.” In addition to building his lifestyle brand, available now, Barba is also active in the non-profit world, using his name to raise awareness for LGBT youth organizations including The Trevor Project. “I didn’t always have this much self-esteem. It isn’t something you’re born with, it’s something you gain.” Balancing business and style with a passion for philanthropy is something he learned at a young age from family friend and role model Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

For more information on Kevin Michael Barba and The Kevin Michael Barba Collection, visit www.KevinMichaelBarba.com 

Why is HRC calling the Family Research Council a hate group? Because it is one.

Washington Post publishes Chad Griffin op-ed expressing condemnation for shooting, detailing FRC’s history of hateful rhetoric

Today the Washington Post published an op-ed column by HRC President Chad Griffin expressing condemnation for the shooting that occurred at the Family Research Council’s headquarters last week and detailing the virulent rhetoric that has earned them the designation of a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The piece can be viewed at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/calling-out-hate-when-we-see-it/2012/08/20/0f9725cc-eb02-11e1-a80b-9f898562d010_story.html.

FRC Shooting: Blame Guns Not Gays

The American Family Association(AFA), a conservative pro-marriage organization just issued a statement on the shooting that occurred at the headquarters of the Family Research Council.(FRC)

"Yesterday’s shooter, who was a homosexual activist who volunteered at a D.C. lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community center, took the argument to a whole new and ugly level.

Disagreement is not hatred. We don’t hate anyone. In fact, we love homosexuals enough to tell them the truth about the risks involved in their lifestyle choices. But for those who hate the truth, the truth will seem to be hate.

We acknowledge the many homosexual activist groups who issued a statement condemning yesterday’s violence, and we commend them for doing so."

In turn, they also blame the Southern Poverty Law Center for listing both the AFA and the FRC as hate groups.

"However, the Southern Poverty Law Center must be called to account. The SPLC argues incessantly that the use of inflammatory and incendiary language when talking about homosexuality promotes violence, and is quick to blame FRC and other organizations such as AFA for every act of violence they possibly can."

Let's not use this unfortunate and tragic incident as fodder to inflame our disagreements on same-sex marriage. The actions of the shooter, Floyd Lee Corkins II,  at FRC are not a part of the LGBT movement towards equality.

Over 25 LGBT organizations responsibly issued statements the other day condemning the actions of Corkins.

With all of the recent devastating shootings occurring recently in the U.S., it's time for our country to really start looking at gun control and how easy it is to acquire arms by the likes of anyone. Until better safeguards are in place, statements like that of the AFA could cause more harm than good.

Freedom to Marry Launches Minnesota TV Ad on Why Marriage Matters

Freedom to Marry unveiled a television ad campaign in Minnesota today as part of its public education efforts designed to spark conversation about the meaning of marriage across the nation.

The ad, the latest to launch in Freedom to Marry’s Why Marriage Matters educational campaign, is scheduled to run for several weeks in the Twin Cities and Duluth. Titled “Grandparents,” it features Yvonne and Fred Peterson of Duluth, whose grandson is gay.

State Resource Map Now Available - Same Sex Marriage

Quick access to state-specific research on LGBT demographics,
marriage, parenting, and workplace issues.

State-level reports by the Williams Institute are now available for all 50 states and Washington D.C. via the state resource map.  By clicking on a state, you can find the latest research reports containing the following information:

● estimates of the LGBT population
● maps showing where same-sex couples live by county
● the number and percent of same-sex couples raising children
● race, ethnicity, income, and other demographic information
● evidence documenting discrimination against LGBT employees
● the impact of voter identification laws on transgender voters for states with the most restrictive laws
● the impact of extending the rights and obligations of marriage to same-sex couples on the state budget and economy (for selected states)

 Click here to visit the state resource map on the Williams Institute homepage.

Gay Mobile Social Network Hornet Is Fabulous

Hornet, the emerging player in gay mobile social networks, is hitting record growth and caught the attention of Techcrunch, which called the mobile app “Fabulous”. (http://techcrunch.com/2012/07/31/gay-mobile-social-network-hornet-is-fabulous-rakes-in-150k-users-with-150-mom-growth/)

Hornet is building its user base by doing good, counting on users wanting an alternative to the existing channels, its makers built a friendlier, milder, and focused on promoting a healthy life style, gay social app meant for making friends, keeping in touch, and finding soul mates.

Through their call to action feature Hornet announces issues of critical importance to the gay community, around local events, political engagement, human rights at home and abroad, most recently supporting in solidarity the fight to win back St Petersburg as a gay mecca.
Unlike most other gay SNS and Grindr, Hornet uses an HTTPS secure connection and SSL certificates as known from your Online Banking.

Hornet App is available on your iOS device (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch) and Android. To get it from the Apple App Store, go here http://bit.ly/askhrnt. To Find it in the google market visit  http://bit.ly/hornetandroid

• Hornet is a gay social and dating app with these key features:
• Fun natural way to swipe between profiles using your finger to scroll left and right from profile to profile and up and down for member photos.
• This GPS location based application acts like a gay radar to find gay and curious men in your area. Browse the guys closest to you in feet or meters.
• The app also has an explore feature: if you work in one spot and live in another or are planning a trip, you can explore other geography and see who is using Hornet there by setting your location to any desired location.
• Cruise and Chat with guys you want to meet for dates, friendship or to show you around the city.

Hornet Networks is gay owned, developer and distributer of the Hornet iPhone Application—a location-based mobile dating and social network that that lets you meet new friends based on criteria you set including geography, share photos quickly by sharing preloaded galleries, and keep notes about people you chat with. Founders and backers include the ranks of LGBT at Microsoft, Linkedin, and Silicon Valley venture technologists. www.gethornet.com

"Trevor Gear" Storefront Opens Today

Suicide Prevention Organization Launches Merchandising Initiative

Today, The Trevor Project announces the official launch of its new merchandising initiative, Trevor Gear. The marketplace storefront features apparel, buttons, stickers and accessories sold at no premium or mark-up, ensuring this not-for-profit store serves to raise awareness for the leading provider of crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth, ages 13-24. Trevor Gear is available at TheTrevorProject.org/Gear.

Culture War Neutrality is Relative

Well, today is Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day, but I don’t expect too many Echelon Readers to be dining on any of their char-grilled sandwiches.

For years, right wing groups like The American Family Association and its subsidiary One Million Moms have demanded that corporations take a neutral stance on the culture war that they invented to decrease their support for the LGBT community. Now, as Chick-Fil-A’s CEO Dan Cathy adds his anti-gay stance on same-sex marriage, it throws the whole concept of “neutrality” into a tail spin.

The AFA site clearly asks their members to support the Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day today. So then how does this conservative group justify asking Home Depot to take a neutral stance in the culture war at the same time they are promoting Chick-Fil-A’s anti-same sex marriage stance?

Clearly, their penchant for neutrality falls by the wayside.

WORLD'S LARGEST INTERNATIONAL LGBT RIGHTS ORGANIZATION CELEBRATES MILLION-MEMBER MILESTONE

The international lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights organization AllOut.org is celebrating a historic milestone today with the release of a video starring members of the organization telling their stories, and featuring the song "Celebrate,” by international recording star Mika featuring Pharrell Williams. All Out, which launched just eighteen months ago, is now 1 million members strong across the world. More than 500,000 of those are straight allies standing up for equality. Many All Out campaigns and courageous members are in one of the nearly 80 countries that outlaw LGBT people and expression.