Josh Gerber
In my interview with Josh Gerber, co-owner of the award winning Cambridge, 1369 Coffee House, co-founder of the Boston branch of Guerilla Queer Bar, and an active member of Mass Equality, the grass roots Massachusetts LGBT equal rights organization, I asked a couple questions about the roles he sees himself playing in the gay market and the queer community.
Sitting at the bar in his Central Sq. coffee shop we started off the interview by talking about what brands he purchases specifically, if any? Cars? Clothes? Food? Etc. And how he thinks general marketing influences his decision. He explained that, of course he’s influenced by marketing, but not really much, he says. He’s mostly influence by friends’ style and his immediate surroundings. Being that he doesn’t watch much TV he relies on observing people around him, on the train, at work, socializing. Although he does admit that he buys magazines and reads the news from time to time, so the marketing he’s exposed to would have to be entirely from print advertising.
When describing his clothing buying habits he said that he re-evaluates what he has every season and buys everything all at once in the beginning of the season. Hmm, I wonder where he gets the idea for what he should wear…. Now, at least one gay stereotype does prevail with Josh when it comes to consumer goods, he owns a Subaru which he bought from his parents, because “it was cheap.” Subaru has, for quite a few years now, marketed directly to queer consumers in a very open, honest, and respectful fashion. He joked about his Subaru as being a “lesbian” car (oh, and yes I do drive one, I’m am an official lesbian), then told me about how when he went to an auto body shop a few weeks ago he had a “Dude car conversation” about his Subaru with the tough guy working behind the counter, they commiserated over some issue the employee was having with his Subaru. I guess, it’s not just gay people who drive them it’s everyone. So, kudos to Subaru for recognizing the queer community as consumers as well.
1369 Coffee House
When asked if he would be more likely to buy a Queer friendly brand, than an openly anit-gay or neglectful brand, he replied with an outstanding “yes!” Josh regularly reads HRC (Human Rights Corporation) list of queer friendly companies and corporations, and does make important personal and business decisions based on this list. He also said that depending on how easily the product would be to replace he would definitely stop buying from companies with anit-gay policies and advertising. Giving the example for Poland Springs Water, he noted that the company is not gay friendly and ranks very low on the HRC list of friendly corporations. Josh remarked that he would eliminate selling Poland Spring products in a second if he could find an alternative, but he has yet to find a brand that has a similar product and is also gay-friendly.
This posses a question for me, how likely is it that queer people, everyday, are purchasing and using products and services that hold anti-gay policies? And also, would people, gay or not be likely to stop purchasing, and boycott anti-gay companies in this market?
Besides running a self described “Gay friendly business.” Josh also co-founded the Boston chapter of Guerilla Queer Bar (GQB). On the GQB website there is a call to the gay people of Boston and a description of the group, “Tired of the same old gay bars? Think the pub on the corner needs a little shake up? Believe that “separate but equal” was never enough? Join us on the first Friday of every month as we take a straight bar back! Welcome to Guerrilla Queer Bar – Boston edition. On the first Friday of every month we’re descending upon an unsuspecting straight bar and turning it into a gay bar for the night. We’re not reinventing the wheel – this is done all around the country – just bringing a time honored tradition to Boston.”
GQB Logo
Josh explains how the options for queer-centered nightlife activities are severely limited for gay people and that GQB already existed in other major cities. He and his business partner Daniel thought, “it’s just an idea, lets do this, that’s great!” So, Boston’s very own GQB was started. The two of them created a website, a Facebook group (social networking site), and went out for guerilla marketing by going to clubs, bars and orgs to solicit partiers. They created pins and every time they would have an event pins would be given out the attendees like candy to children on Halloween. Facebook and word of mouth were really the big sellers of GQB and the queer people of Boston came-a-runnin’. Additionally, the guys had a secret plan, by getting a few key alphas in the Boston Gay scene to come with their circle of friends he spread the word faster than wildfire. Josh also explained how he and Daniel networked personally, they were always there and socializing which made people feel good and gave the attendees a sense of community and friendship.
After a few hugely successful takeovers the Media eventually came to them: first was Bay Windows, a popular Queer newspaper in the queer community, second was The Dig, a local, widely circulated, free, Boston periodical, third the Boston Phoenix, another popular free Boston periodical, and lastly the Boston Globe, the largest newspaper in the greater New England area, did a front page story in the Style section.
GQB in Boston now has around a thousand people participating the first Friday of every month and the group has grown so large that Josh and Daniel have started expanding to organized takeovers more than once a month.
Josh Gerber
We wrapped up the interview by going back briefly to the topic of 1369 Coffee House. When asked if his shop was indeed gay friendly he said that YES! It is open and friendly to all people, but is not necessarily a gay or straight spot. Any one should be comfortable, from a trans person to a frat dude. It’s important to him that 1369 is not exclusively gay, so obviously, he does not want to exclude people.
Both behind the scenes at his coffee shop and in the public eye with GQB Josh Gerber is an advocate for gay visibility and acceptance in the general public. He isn’t shouting from the rooftops that he is gay and thinks that people should just accept it; he is showing that he, as a gay man, is a productive and valuable member of society. He is in a position to make major decisions with respect to both his business and GQB and he chooses to make decisions that will help, not hinder, gay visibility and acceptance.
LINKS:
Guerilla Queer Bar – Boston
1369 Coffee House
Mass Equality
