Expert Interview with Laura Davis, Yahoo! News: Episode 006 of the Gay Business & Marketing Made Easy Podcast

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I had a chance to sit down with Laura Davis of Yahoo! News recently and ask her a series of questions around same sex marriage, Proposition 8 and the economic impact of the LGBT wedding industry. Below are the questions I asked her. Hit the play button above or head over to iTunes to listen to her answers.

Listen to this great interview with Laura Davis as we discuss –

• The impact of same sex marriage
• The civil rights issue of this era
• Proposition 8
• New York passing same sex marriage
• Economic impact of LGBT weddings

I am delighted to be talking with Laura Davis, an editor for Yahoo News in Los Angeles, CA. Her career credits include internships with ABC News and the Associated Press and she is now an Editor for Yahoo! News. She has an interest in reporting on LGBT rights issues. Today, we are going to talk about the economic impact of same sex marriage. I can’t wait to dive into the questions with Laura and share a bit about my own experience when my wife and I chose to make a political statement when we got married in 2011.
So tell us, what has your experience been working with Yahoo! News and the Associated Press?
You have a history on writing about LGBT rights issues. What is your personal connection and motivation for writing about such topics?
As a resident of California – could you share your perspective of the atmosphere in 2008 when same sex marriage became legal?
Same sex marriage in California was only legal for a short period of time. Could you briefly share what Proposition 8 is and what it was like for you to cover the news as it happened?
How do you feel the California economy has been effected by the passage of Prop 8?
What data have you seen in regards to the economic impact the LGBT community has specifically within the wedding industry?
In 2008 you wrote an article for the AP that discussed gay couples using their weddings to make a political statement on the issue. Just a few weeks ago, The Rainbow Times interviewed me about my wedding experience for a Valentine’s Day story they were doing. As a Connecticut resident I am fortunate enough to be legally married. We chose to make a few political statements at our wedding. The first was in asking our Lieutenant Governor, Nancy Wyman to officiate the ceremony for us, which she kindly agreed to and we had a blast. We also wrote a special piece into our vows that read “we also recognize those who are still denied the civil right of wedded union and forbidden the social and legal benefits of marriage, we are fortunate to be standing in the great state of Connecticut today, where such a privilege and honor is coveted still by many, we have come a long way toward treating all men and women as equals, and yet, we acknowledge that we still have farther to go.“
What was it like interviewing Pamela and Shauna for that article in August 2008 and did you have contact with them after Prop 8 went into effect? Here’s the link to her story.
If you could give business owners listening to this podcast one piece of advice about reaching out to the LGBT community, what would it be?