Petrelis Files

(This man and his bike don't pollute the air)









BMW Under Fire for Ads in Gay Magazine

My sister Angela alerted me to this story that ran in the March 29 edition of AdAge magazine.

As someone who has never learned how to operate a car and certainly doesn't have a driver's license, and who uses public transportation or a bicycle to get around, I'd like to make the following suggestion to other gays and lesbians: Abandon your gas-guzzlers! Help put an end to oil addiction, America held hostage by corrupt oil-producing dictators, and climate change. Get a bike, ride the bus or train, or walk.

Highlights from the AdAge article:

DETROIT -- Here’s a paradox: BMW of North America is under fire from a gay-advocacy auto Web site for advertising in gay and lesbian magazines.

Gaywheels.com called BMW hypocritical, pointing out that the automaker targets “the deep pockets” of gays and lesbians by advertising in publications like The Advocate but doesn’t offer domestic-partner benefits to employees.

“Gay and lesbian consumers want to spend their money with gay-friendly companies,” Joe LaMuraglia, publisher of Gaywheels.com, told Advertising Age. “A lot of people will see companies advertising in gay media and assume they are gay friendly.”

Using domestic-partner benefit programs as a criterion, Gaywheels.com lists some 30 “gay-friendly” and nine “non-gay friendly” auto brands. Seven other auto brands are listed as “still investigating” as the publisher waits to hear about the status of their benefits programs.

A BMW spokeswoman said the automaker, in an effort to stay in line with New Jersey laws, does not offer domestic-partner benefits to any staffers [...]