Author
Richard Read

Lee Friedlander: ‘America By Car’ At The Whitney

Richard Read
Just a quick note to the carhounds out there who also appreciate fine art photography: Lee Friedlander’s stunning solo exhibition entitled “America By Car” is on view for one more month at New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art. The show features photos taken from inside vehicles — in fact, as you can see in “Montana” (2008) above, the greenhouse of the car becomes a framing device. It’s like what most of us see every day, only prettier, and on a museum wall. Friedlander shot from the front seats of rental cars on trips around the country, meaning that there’s a range of vehicles represented, both foreign and domestic. If you can’t make the schlep to New York, you could always pop over to Amazon and pick up the book for yourself or a friend. Or possibly as an early holiday present for your favorite auto site. You know, just a thought. [...]

October 11, 2010: National Coming Out Day

Richard Read
Today is National Coming Out Day. Here at Gaywheels, we were planning to write an article about (a) the importance of coming out, (b) the importance of doing it every day, and (c) the special importance of doing it in the auto world, which hasn’t always been welcoming to LGBT folks. The tragic spate of teen suicides in recent weeks helps prove those points. We also wanted to mention the curious overlap of Columbus Day and Coming Out Day — one about geographic discovery, the other about discovering who we are as individuals. We’re sure it would’ve been pithy and insightful. [...]

HRC Releases Equality Index: How Did Automakers Fare?

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One of Gaywheels’ most popular features is its list of gay-friendly automakers (and its shrinking list of not-so-gay-friendly brands). These lists keep politically minded LGBT shoppers informed about who’s doing what for our community. The Human Rights Campaign keeps a much bigger list — one that explores thousands of companies across dozens of industry sectors. HRC just published its Equality Index for 2011, and we’re happy to see that Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors each earned perfect scores of 100. Subaru, Toyota, and Volkswagen also aced the test (even though VW’s bitter child, Porsche, remains on our non-gay-friendly list). [...]

Gay Racing Fans: Root For The Home Team In The Fireball Run

Richard Read
If you’re a racing fan, you’d probably been following this year’s Fireball Run. The Run is a road rally, not a race. In fact, it bills itself as an “8 day, 3500 mile adventurally…. Teams use more brain power than horse power to solve clues and accomplish missions needed in order to score points and reach their final destination!” The fun began on September 23 in Henderson, Nevada, and it wraps up tomorrow in Galena, Illinois. Along the way, participating teams have had to compete in races and other challenges, all toward a charitable end: raising funds to help find missing children [...]

HRC Steps Over To The Dark Side, Raffles Off Lexus CT 200h

Richard Read
On the hybrid front, the Lexus CT 200h has gotten a lot of attention recently — not so much for its appearance or performance as for the publicity stunts used to hawk it. For reasons yet to be fully explained, Lexus and its ad agency chose to market the CT 200h with the tagline, “The Darker Side of Green“.* Then they put together a number of debates around the subject of the environment, pitting eco-scientists against climate change-deniers, with comedians like Sarah Silverman and Tracy Morgan serving as moderators. There was even an interactive film meant to prove that environmentally friendly rides like the CT can also pack serious pep. Unfortunately, the film was mostly terrible, and putting out terrible things is perhaps not the best way to sell cars. [...]

September 14: A Day For Remembering The Amilcar And An American Legend

Richard Read
On this night, 83 years ago, the world focused its attention on the death of one of the 20th century’s most important artists, dancer Isadora Duncan. Also in the spotlight: the car that brought about her demise: an Amilcar. Long story short: Duncan was famous for her dramatic clothing, especially her long, flowing scarves. On the night of September 14, 1927, Duncan hopped in her convertible, and as the driver took off, her silk scarf became wrapped in the spokes of the rear wheel. Within seconds, she was lifted from her seat and hurled to the cobblestones, dragged for some distance before the driver fully realized what had happened. At just 50 years old, she was pronounced dead at the scene. [...]

Ten Most-Researched Rides At Gaywheels.com

Richard Read
We have a confession to make. As most of you know, Gaywheels had a bit of a transition earlier this year when founder Joe LaMuraglia stepped down and handed the editorial reins to Joe Tralongo. Thanks to Joe’s L’s planning and Joe T’s smarts, the transition went pretty smoothly. Except for one small detail: we’ve been neglecting to post one of your favorite things, the Most-Researched Vehicle reports. [...]

Video: Jaguar Drops Aussie Swimmer For Homophobic Remark

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Twitter is a great tool for communication. (You follow us, don’t you?) Sure, some folks have criticized it for being just another way to broadcast your choice of oatmeal — and it is. But it’s also a lightning-fast way to share information, as we saw during last year’s protests in Iran, or in the case of a kidnapping that took place earlier this week, when the victim tweeted his location with his captor’s mobile phone. Unfortunately, Twitter is so easy to use that people often do so without really considering what they’re saying. This week’s cautionary example: Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice, who dropped the f-bomb after a rugby match. I believe her exact words were, “suck on that, faggots”. [...]

Audi To Be Honored By The Point Foundation For Its LGBT Policies

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The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation may not have any awards in its gift bag for automakers this year, but the Point Foundation certainly does — at least for one forward-thinking German brand. The nation’s largest scholarship-granting organization for LGBT students of merit will honor Audi with its Point Inspiration Award at a gala event later this month. According to the Foundation’s press release: The Point Inspiration Award recognizes a corporation that champions respect and inclusion of the LGBT community, and operates with the vision that the success achieved by talented young people is limited only by the resources and opportunities they are given to help them fulfill their potential. [...]

GLAAD Announces Media Award Nominees: How Many Automakers Made The Cut?

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Last week, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation published its list of nominees for the organization’s second annual Media Awards in Advertising. According to the official press release, the awards are meant to “elevate and promote individuals and projects in the advertising and marketing industries for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affect their lives.” Which is quite a mouthful, but at heart, it means that GLAAD wants to recognize those companies that give visibility to our community. [...]