Gaywheelsdotcom

A friend has an awesome tour guide compay in Rome and is actively reaching out to the LGBT community.  He's not gay but he sure isn't hard on the eyes!  If you are thinking about going to Rome and you want to make sure you have a gay-friendly experience, check them out.

Click on the photo to go to his site:  Love4Adventure.com

by Joe LaMuraglia - Publisher

Monday, November 3, 2008 - I was just alerted by a friend of mine in CA that the "Yes on Prop 8" campaign in CA had somehow hijacked all the ad space on Gaywheels.com and the ads you see above were being trafficked all over the site for visitors from the state of CA. Upon learning the news, I took steps to block www.protectmarriage.com from advertising on Gaywheels.com. As a small business owner, I do my best to remain neutral when it comes to politics. It just makes good business sense. While Gaywheels.com is an information site that encourages our users to spend their money with gay-friendly companies, it is not our mission to take sides or preach to our users. Consumers come to Gaywheels.com to read about cars and trucks, not to be bombarded with ads about politics. I am very angry about this and apologize to any site visitors from the state of CA that might have been offended by the ads. They in no way reflect my political beliefs and for the record are diametrically opposed to my value system. I will be investigating how these ads managed to get onto Gaywheels.com and will take any appropriate legal action. Looking at this situation from a different angle, one might ask why the people from the "Yes on Prop 8" campaign spent money to advertise their message on a gay-targeted web site. Is it a sign of stupidity or desperation? I suppose we'll find out after tomorrow. In the meantime, please exercise your right to vote in this historic election. Screen shot of Gaywheels.com as seen by a CA web surfer. These ads were NOT approved by Gaywheels.com

6 is the New 10

by Joe LaMuraglia

The 2009 Mazda6, while all new, isn't the first time Mazda has been a player in mid-size sedan segment. They've had contenders as far back as the late 80's with the 626 and more recently with the last generation Mazda6. It is however, the first time that Mazda designed and built a midsized sedan specifically for the U.S. consumer. The last generation of the Mazda6 was a global car and had to meet the needs of consumers from various countries. As a result, it was smaller than its competitors and when you are thinking baby seats, baggage and American teenagers, bigger is better.

In addition to the size deficit, Mazda product planners identified two additional areas that needed improvement over the last generation 6: power and quality. So they set out to make a high-quality vehicle with efficient power in a roomier package. Luckily they paid attention to aesthetics as well because what emerged is a vehicle that met all their technical requirements and comes wrapped in gorgeous sheet metal that is unmistakably a Mazda.

Bigger

The new Mazda6 is bigger than the car it replaces. It has a 4.5-inch-longer wheelbase and a wider front and rear track. It is 6.1 inches longer and 2.3 inches wider than the last car and its trunk volume increased by almost 10 percent. The growth is evident when you enter the roomy cabin. Where the last car felt snug and sporty, the new Mazda6 has a more open feel with details and controls that still hint of its sporty nature. You can feel a real difference in the rear seat and the Mazda6 is now on par with the best in its class.

Badder

What's more room with out some zoom? When they say that the Mazda6 got a complete makeover, that includes the engines as well. The new Mazda6 base "i" trim gets a new 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that has 170 horsepower while the new Mazda6 "s" trim gets the 3.7-liter V-6 from the CX-9 that produces 272 horsepower. Read more HERE

by Joe LaMuraglia

Infiniti gave us a sneak peak at the new 2009 Infiniti G37 Convertible las week. Making its world debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, the G37 Convertible gives Infiniti another product to draw people from their primary competitor, the BMW 3-series. From the looks of it, they won't have too much trouble attracting more customers. The photo looks great and if it drives like the coupe, they'll have a winner on their hands.

It will feature a a fully automatic 3-piece folding top hardtop and will be powered by a 3.7-liter V6 producing 320-plus horsepower. Trunk space is sure to be minimal with the top down but you don't buy a convertible for utility do you?

It goes on sale at Infiniti retailers nationwide in early 2009. We are eager to know more and see what it looks like with the top up. In the meantime, check out the video interview of Infiniti's Design Director - Shiro Nakamura.

Infiniti House of Inspiration from Steve Mallory on Vimeo.

Tremendous strides toward full equality have been achieved by our communities over the past decade. Many of these advances have occurred because LGBTsurvey studies have opened doors (and minds) in leading corporations and organizations, which in turn have recognized the value of their LGBT employees through the establishment of equal hiring policies and domestic partner benefits. This has been a catalyst, leading to sweeping changes in political and social inclusiveness.

With the above in mind, we are helping Community Marketing with their latest survey and ask that you take a few minutes to answer their questions. Your answers will help LGBT companies continue to move the needle towards equality and inclusive business practices. Click HERE or on the image below to take the survey. Make sure to tell your friends about it!

Everyone who completes the survey by Sept 14, 2008 will be entered into a drawing to win one of FIVE iPod Shuffles or the Grand Prize of TWO free airline tickets from/to any of the participating airline's destinations in the 48 continental U.S. States, plus Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Restrictions apply.

Keep this in mind:

• Demographic reports also influence marketing investment. Virtually absent until recently, we now see a growing variety of products and services represented in gay media, celebrating our diversity.
  
• Ads keep LGBT publications and websites in business, serving their communities with independent news and information.
  
• Beyond simply advertising, though, these companies support us in many ways, including sponsoring community events and funding community-based charities in order to earn our loyalty.
  
• Taking an annual pulse on market trends through surveys helps demonstrate the LGBT community's growing power, and influences positive change.