A new daily deals website catering to the LGBT community launched on Tuesday, and offers subscribers with daily offers from local and regional businesses who are known to be gay-friendly.
Gaypon — the gay alternative to “Groupon” — is based in West Bloomfield, Mich., and founded by Michigan radio personality Rob Graham.
Before becoming a Gaypon merchant, businesses are put through a background check of sorts, where they are investigated for any bad marks, like complaints of discrimination from customers and employees, poor hiring practices, etc. Gaypon says it also uses various tools, like the Human Rights Campaign’s “Corporate Equality Index” that rates American workplaces on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality.
Gaypon plans to donate a portion of proceeds to charitable organizations, and those that support the gay community, like The Trevor Project, which focuses on crisis and suicide prevention amongst LGBTQ youth, and Affirmations, which is one of the largest LGBT community centers in the United States. The exact percentage of those donations, however, is unclear.
“Gaypon gives you the opportunity to receive awesome discounts on everything from dining, nightlife and entertainment to the latest gadgets, fashion and fitness,” Graham said in a released statement.
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“You don’t have to be part of the LGBT community to participate with Gaypon. Our online community is a place where individuals who believe in equal and fair employment practices can find great deals and support businesses that share the same philosophy.”
Initially, most of Gaypon’s deals originate from it’s suburban Detroit home base, but Graham said deals are forthcoming in New York City, Atlanta, San Francisco, Chicago, San Diego and Phoenix.
