Last year we announced that the MINI and Rolls-Royce brands were being added to our gay-friendly list. Since then, many readers have written in demanding to know why BMW wasn’t on the same list and how we could call ourselves automotive journalists if we didn’t know that BMW owned MINI and Rolls-Royce. The first few emails stung but we quickly realized that not everyone reads beyond the headline.
We pointed out in the article that while all the MINI and Rolls-Royce employees in the U.S. had domestic partner benefits available to them as of January 2007, not all employees of BMW had the same coverage. We are happy to report that as of January 1, 2008, BMW has extended their benefits to their manufacturing facility in S.C. and is now on our gay-friendly list. Please see the press release below:
January 3, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Gaywheels.com Adds BMW to Its Gay-Friendly List

Nashville, TN – Gaywheels.com, the only website designed for the GLBT automotive consumer, has updated its listing of gay-friendly car companies to include another brand previously on its non-gay-friendly list – BMW. BMW of North America, who began offering domestic partner benefits to their U.S. employees in their Sales, Marketing and Finance divisions in 2007, extended those same benefits to their employees in the manufacturing division as of January 1, 2008 thus qualifying the BMW brand as “gay-friendly”.
“We welcome BMW to the ranks of gay-friendly brands,” said Joe LaMuraglia, publisher of Gaywheels.com. “I know that the decision to extend benefits to all their U.S.-based employees will be welcomed by their GLBT owners as well as potential customers.”
The addition of BMW to the gay-friendly list brings the number of gay-friendly brands to 35. That leaves only 11 car brands remaining on the non-gay-friendly list, or still “under investigation.”
Virtually every new car, SUV and light truck model for sale in the U.S. is summarized on Gaywheels.com with photos, prices, driving impressions and a detailed description. Gaywheels.com also features original new-vehicle reviews by gay automotive writers, advice and recommendations on vehicle purchasing, financing and insurance.
About Gaywheels.com
Launched in 2005, Gaywheels.com is dedicated to promoting responsible consumerism and affecting change by encouraging car shoppers to patronize gay-friendly companies throughout the vehicle purchase process. Users of the site are able to investigate which automakers and other automotive companies offer domestic partner benefits to their employees, thus qualifying them as “gay-friendly,” plus read general reviews about cars, trucks and SUVs from those manufacturers. With that information at hand, they can make educated choices during the car-buying process. For more information, please visit www.Gaywheels.com.