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?

Richard Read 1
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. [...]