Southwest Airlines - Gay Travel

I'm always happy to see a business of any size stand up for LGBT equality, but it's particularly encouraging when big corporations go out of their way to include and support the queer community. As leaders in business, corporations are not only highly visible but also extremely influential. For better and for worse, there is nothing more "American" than a United States corporation. By marketing towards LGBT consumers, big businesses are bringing a long alienated and often invisible community into the spotlight through mainstream resources. The affect of such advertising is incredibly powerful for the LGBT community.

Southwest Airlines does a remarkable job at marketing to LGBT consumers. They go above and beyond the once-a-year Pride parade advertisement (or float), and they don't reserve their LGBT advertisements exclusively for LGBT newspapers/magazines. In other words: they don't hide their support. LGBT consumers are often targeted by marketers for two main reasons. First, LGBT individuals are often assumed to have disposable income. Second, LGBT consumers are known to be extremely loyal to the organizations and companies that support them. As a result, many companies target the LGBT community for superficial reasons. Southwest, however, is one of the few corporations that walks their talk. Their website, for example, has a page dedicated to "GLBT Outreach." They take their support a step further by stating, "We support the GLBT community because we are the GLBT community. Southwest also partners with close to a dozen local and national GLBT organizations.

For these reasons (plus Southwest's super cheap rates, flexible cancellation/rebooking policies, and unlimited on-flight snacks), I am an unwavering fan of Southwest airlines. As long as Southwest continues to support the GLBT community, I will continue to preference Southwest every time I fly.