From the editor: Stand up for LGBT-owned and allied businesses

We have a responsibility to live ethically – as humans, but also as a minority group. We know the importance of this more than the majority as we push forward in our goal of achieving equal rights.

Weeks ago, I was drinking my morning Grande vanilla latte at the Starbucks a few blocks from Out Front Colorado‘s office. I was listening to my iPod’s “help-me-wake-up” mix, when a remix of Lady Gaga’s “Edge of Glory” began to beat through my headphones. I tapped my foot and drummed my laptop in tune.

I didn’t realize at the time there was a connection between all of these things.

In 2008, LGBT people responding to a market survey by PlanetOut and advertising agency Prime Access ranked Apple as the second most gay-friendly company in the U.S.

On March 9 this year, news broke Lady Gaga had pulled the plug on a deal to distribute her albums through Target, over the company’s donations to a political action group supporting anti-gay candidates.

Then, on March 21 at an annual meeting of shareholders, Starbucks CEO told a conference of shareholders why the coffee giant endorsed Washington state’s same-sex marriage bill. Schultz, in front of many proponents of anti-gay groups and businesses, held fast his decision to place Starbucks in the pro-equality tent.

(Unsurprisingly, National Organization for Marriage has announced a boycott of the famous frappachino chain).

The National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce conducted a survey finding 88 percent of gay men and 91 percent of lesbians report their purchasing decisions are influenced by corporate support for the LGBT community. We’ll address this LGBT loyalty in our cover story, and the message is clear: when it comes to where we spend our dollars, we care about more than the bottom line.

That moment at Starbucks, with my latte and iPod in hand, I was unwittingly a microcosm for the LGBT community.

A study by Witeck-Combs Communications and Packaged Facts estimated the LGBT’s buying power in 2011 to be $845 billion. And it makes sense, hell, there are about 20 million of us in the country, after all. Our economic decisions make a big difference in the world.

That’s more true these days than ever, and especially important to Coloradans.

In Colorado, buying from local small businesses has become a fad. With an entire ‘Buy Local Week’ dedicated to the celebration of supporting locally-owned businesses on Black Friday, many socially-conscious consumers have opted to stand up and show the local community some love.

That’s the sentiment the movement began with: buy locally to support our community’s economy.

As we fight for same-sex relationship recognition and hope to normalize our lives in the broader society, our social responsibility has become even greater.

We are a diverse group of people who have faced oppression politically, socially and personally. LGBT people have even faced economic oppression in our day-to-day lives at work; surveys continue show a significant number of LGBT people report facing workplace discrimination or harassment.

As Out Front Colorado celebrates its 36th anniversary, we chose to use this issue to embrace Colorado’s LGBT entrepreneurs. And as the editorial team was busy making dozens of phone calls and reaching out to mom-and-mom and pop-and-pop shop owners, we were swept up in a common emotion of triumph and camaraderie.

The Denver LGBT business culture is rich. And we’re not just talking dollars.

The businesses we spoke to revealed their individual speed bumps and victories and explained how they managed to swing out of it on top. Some made it through the recession in great thanks to their loyal and steadfast LGBT customers.

At the same time, many of the LGBT entrepreneurs gave job opportunities to members of our community who have faced ongoing discrimination and challenges in the mainstream corporate world.

What’s even more, they’re role models for being out and involved in the community, instilling passion in others to embark on new entrepreneurial endeavors.

Shout out to the interns!

As OFC continues to grow, we’ve welcomed two new interns to our staff. Tim Arguello studies graphic design at Community College of Denver and has been designing ads and working with the art department for about a month. Daniel (DJ) Crosby, a film studies graduate of Temple University, has been blogging for us for three weeks, and you can also find his stories on our FYI pages. A hearty thanks to DJ and Tim for all their hard work.