Are there small business resources for LGBT business owners?
As part of this blog I get the great pleasure of answering a question from a blog reader like you. This question comes from an exchange I had with a follower on Twitter. This person was looking for ideas and topics that would be helpful for small business owners, “Are there small business …
Read MoreWhy don’t you have a picture of your wife on your desk?
This post stems from a conversation my wife was having with a co-worker. In my circle of friends and colleagues I am the go-to person to ask any LGBT related questions and my web appears to be expanding into my wife’s education world as well. We started talking about a conversation …
Read More#70: An Open Letter from a Self Admitted Homophobe [Podcast]
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http://traffic.libsyn.com/jenntgrace/Episode_70_An-open-letter-from-a-self-admitted-homophobe.mp3 Podcast: Play in new window Subscribe: RSS Thanks for listening to episode #70 of the podcast. Today’s episode of the podcast isn’t an interview, it’s a response to an email I received from a reader. It’s been a few months since I’ve spent a podcast just talking to you, …
Read MoreJust because you see two lesbians – it doesn’t mean they’re a couple
I feel it is very well documented that I have a wife whom I love more than words can describe. When it comes to spouses I seriously got lucky. However, she can be somewhat of a unicorn, a mythical creature if you will. Very few people have met her because …
Read More#51: Who is the Human Rights Campaign and How Does this Help your Business? [Podcast]
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http://traffic.libsyn.com/jenntgrace/epi-51-gay-business-marketing-human-rights-campaign-interview-with-liz-cooper.mp3 Podcast: Play in new window Subscribe: RSS Today’s podcast episode is meant as a pre-cursor to the next episode! Each year the Human Rights Campaign puts out their Corporate Equality Index (CEI) which is something I absolutely swear by. This index helps me understand what companies are doing good …
Read More#49: Year in Review & the Key Lessons in 2014! [Podcast]
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http://traffic.libsyn.com/jenntgrace/epi_49_gay-business-and-marketing-8-lessons-of-2014.mp3 Podcast: Play in new window Subscribe: RSS In today’s podcast I talk about the 8 key lessons I learned in 2014. Each year I do an annual recap and there are 8 that stand out to me. As a listener you have been following my running journey throughout 2014 …
Read MoreCan I ask my lesbian neighbor about her pregnancy?
Quite sometime ago I wrote a blog post titled How Intimate is too Intimate in a Business Setting and in it I discussed how it can be awkward when you are being asked ‘Who gave birth?’ by someone you don’t know, who is trying to do business with you. I encourage you to read the …
Read MoreWhen to (or not to) use the word Queer? That is the question. [Podcast]
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http://traffic.libsyn.com/jenntgrace/episode-47-gay-business-and-marketing-made-easy-a-queer-question.mp3 Podcast: Play in new window Subscribe: RSS Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Today I’m pleased to share episode #47 of the podcast. In this episode I discuss what I am thankful for this year as well as tackling a listener question about the usage of the word Queer. It’s an interesting topic and one …
Read More#46: What is coming in 2015 and answering listener questions [Podcast]
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http://traffic.libsyn.com/jenntgrace/episode_46_gay-business-marketing-listener-questions.mp3 Podcast: Play in new window Subscribe: RSS Hi there podcast listener! Thank you for being here. I am delighted to share with you my plans for this podcast as I enter year 3 of doing so. I also discuss ways in which I will be improving my blog and …
Read MoreCan we no longer say ‘My Partner’? The differences between a romantic partner and business partner.
This topic comes from a direct conversation I was having with two women business owners. These two women are active allies and members of the local LGBT chamber of commerce. I’ve had a chance to sit down with them in their business, on multiple occasions to talk about how they …
Read MoreWhat exactly is a sexual preference?
As with almost every post I write, this topic comes out of a direct conversation I had with an old friend and colleague. She has been a proud supporter of the LGBT community for many years and has been very active and successful in doing so. We were talking about equality …
Read MoreDealing with opposition when preparing an LGBT outreach plan
This post was prompted by a question I received from an Australian reader of this blog. After reading my book he reached out to me with the following statement – Thanks for creating this – lots of hard work have produced a great result. One thing I am curious about – …
Read MoreDeconstructing gaydar: Why do I know she’s a lesbian?
Often times in this blog I’ll address questions I’ve been asked by friends or colleagues. But in this post I’d like to attempt to answer my own question by brainstorming in writing with you. It may sound a bit crazy but I’ve been racking my brain for a while trying to …
Read More"So… which one of you is the man in the relationship?"
This blog post comes from a conversation I was having with a fellow lesbian. I was interviewing her for my 30 days – 30 voices – stories from America’s LGBT business leaders podcast project. I was telling her about my book called “But You Don’t Look Gay…”, and I was …
Read MoreAre you saying "That’s so gay?" Stop.
There are always those expressions that can get under your skin. For me, one of those phrases is “That’s so gay.” It definitely seems to be more of a young adult and adolescent phrase but I’ve caught an adult or two or three saying it as well. I would equate …
Read MoreThere’s no such thing as the ‘gay lifestyle’
During a meeting the question “What is your knowledge and experience with the LGBT community?” came up. In the middle of this person’s response a reference to the ‘gay lifestyle’ was made. I had an immediate reaction. When I hear the term ‘lifestyle’ it sends a red flag that the …
Read MoreWhat is Cisgender?
I was in a meeting a while back reviewing candidates for a specific position we noticed that ‘cisgender’ was an option on the application form. I personally knew one of the applicants and hadn’t heard the term cisgender before so I was immediately thinking… I’ve never heard her describe herself …
Read MoreDon’t assume that because your co-worker is gay that they have ‘gaydar’
By now you may know that I pull the content I write about from recent interactions I’ve had. There never seems to be a shortage of information to write about in terms of educating people on how to do business with the LGBT community in a non-offensive way. This blog comes …
Read MoreHow can I help my co-worker "come out" at work?
I sat down for a cup of coffee this weekend with a friend and colleague. She recently went from being in business for herself to jumping back into the corporate world. Within just a couple of minutes she began to tell me about the person who is training her in …
Read MoreHow to Identify and Respond to "The Pronoun Game"
So what is the Pronoun Game? I was pleasantly surprised to see Wikipedia had a definition – “‘Playing the pronoun game’ is the act of concealing sexual orientation in conversation by not using a gender-specific pronoun for a partner or a lover, which would reveal the sexual orientation of the …
Read MoreWhy Are Rainbows a Symbol of the LGBT Community?
In a meeting I was talking about pride parades and made a comment about rainbows. One of the people I was sitting with said “I had no idea rainbows are a sign of gay pride.” It never occurred to me that people wouldn’t know that rainbows were a symbol of …
Read More3 reasons you should never say homosexual. ever.
There is never a right time to use the word homosexual. Ever. This week’s post comes from a conversation I was having where we were talking about a person who is not so pleasant to deal with. In the middle of the conversation the person I am sitting with says …
Read More#001: Introduction to the Gay Business & Marketing Made Easy Podcast [Podcast]
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http://traffic.libsyn.com/jenntgrace/GBM_001_IntroToTheShow.mp3 Podcast: Play in new window Subscribe: RSS Listen to the episode by clicking the play button below! This first episode of the podcast is short just about 11 minutes. It’s really just an introduction to what the Gay Business & Marketing Made Easy Podcast is all about, a …
Read MoreIf I’m not lesbianed you can’t be transgendered…
This post stems from a recent conversation I was having where the person I was speaking with said the word transgendered then paused and said out loud “Is transgendered the right word?” Have you ever found yourself thinking about how a word sounds? Let’s use lesbian for example. The more you …
Read More"Pardon my ignorance but what is LGBT?"
This website came to be after I found myself answering LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) related questions from a variety of friends of mine. Since I consider myself a Professional Lesbian TM (educating people around LGBT topics is what I do every day) I’m often the first place friends come to …
Read MoreDo you need to "Come out" to your Doctor?
This question comes from a friend who is a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and has encountered a similar situation a couple of times when treating her lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) patients. To best understand the situation she provided me with a document from the Rhode Island Department of …
Read MoreHow to assist a transgender job applicant
This question comes from a colleague who runs the full service staffing firm 925Hire. 925Hire is unique because they focus exclusively on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. An awesome niche to serve (I may be biased)! She saw this conundrum in a recent staffing magazine and wanted …
Read MoreLGBT Questions from a Friend…
I have a friend who has inspired me to start this blog based on questions she brought to me. She asked me LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) related questions on a fairly regular basis. She knew that she can ask the sensitive questions she needed to ask without fear …
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