..::____ Gay Pages SA ____::..








  


    Civil Union Act:
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  Over the past 12 years, the Gay Pages has established itself as the largest, most widely read gay publication in South Africa. Our advertisers reach the most affluent sector of the gay market.
The Gay Pages keeps going from strength to strength and our corporate advertising support has quadrupled in the past 5 years. Our page count has increased to 112, to accommodate more advertisers and more content, making us the biggest and largest gay publication in South Africa’s history. We publish quarterly and are on sale 12 months a year.

South African companies still seem to live in the dark ages where the power of Pink Money is concerned. It is heartening to see that companies such as Daimler Chrysler, Jaguar, Mecer Computers, Philips, Smart, Derakera Indonesian furniture, Avis, Brett Goldman Homme Couture, K.9 Pet Food, Gaydar gay personals website, Landrover, Build Inn Garage Doors, Galderma Laboratories, De Necker Dental Surgeons, Oxygen for Life, Knysna Tourism, Opel, Dodge, and many others are starting to support our affluent community. These companies have realised that our trend-setting community has wealth, an innate sense of style and are brand loyal – making us ideal consumers. It is estimated that over 25% of the annual GDP of the United States of America is generated by gay people. Staggering if you think about it. What comes up tops in all the research is that gay people worldwide have a much higher disposable income than their straight counterparts. They are brand-loyal and will support those companies who see them as the empowered individuals that they are.

Browse the web for more information - there's a lot of info out there - www.commercialcloset.org is especially informative.

We have worked 11-hour-plus workdays for 15 years to highlight the hidden, hardworking gay majority. The South African gay community is a wealthy, vibrant and dynamic part of our society. Our aim is to promote business and this has meant that we have stayed "clean" - in fact, we're Granny-friendly! Seriously, though, the Gay Pages is the best avenue for advertisers and the gay (or not so gay) public to meet and conduct business. Many magazines, advertising agencies and such like, claim to "reach the gay market through mainstream publications". We beg to differ. Worldwide there is a move toward niche marketing. Gay people would rather support an advertiser who targets their market directly, than any other advertiser in a "mainstream" publication. We focus on the business and leisure aspects of gay life. We will continue to highlight the many positive and fascinating aspects of the gay community and to increase our visibility in a positive and non-threatening way. We are very stable and are here to stay. We are the only gay publication that has never changed hands, never changed phone numbers, never changed our address and never even changed our staff! Fifteen gay publications that we know of have started and stopped publishing in the last 14 years. Most of them survived for less than a year. Our staff compliment grows slowly but surely. All our staff members are self-employed entrepreneurs with various successful businesses. No other quality, glossy magazine with comprehensive national distribution in South Africa is produced by a team of dedicated entrepreneurs. We are unique. Our readers mainly fall into the LSM8-10 category. This means that by advertising in the Gay Pages, you are reaching the most affluent part of the gay community. It makes simple business sense.

We distribute through RNA. This means that we have a presence in over 700 outlets, from Pofadder to Richards Bay and includes some cities like Windhoek, Gaborone etc. We also distribute small quantities worldwide to gay organizations, travel agents and subscribers.

 

 
Editor: Rubin van Niekerk

Rubin is an established marketing and business consultant. He is also the founder of The Family Business, South Africa's first gay business association that was launched in Johannesburg in January 1992. He became the father of the Pink Money campaign in South Africa, which he started in June 1992 and spearheaded ever since. This campaign highlights the importance of networking and entrepreneurial spirit in the gay community. It also emphasises the need to support gay business and it encourages gay businesses to create job opportunities for gay people. Many gay people still experience discrimination in the workplace and are often pressurised until they resign. Fortunately society is becoming more accepting and more people are coming out of the closet at younger ages. Rubin created the Gay Pages to provide a public platform where the gay community can network and develop entrepreneurial skills. It has educated the general public with regards to the economic importance of the gay community. This campaign has been so successful that various gay media have attempted to copy the Gay Pages. Recently some companies have also tried to brand the Pink Money Campaign as their own invention. The bottom line is that The Family Business and the Gay Pages has been doing it for 15 years and the older the network gets, the more successful it becomes. Besides, Harry Hay started the first documented gay business network in 1950, called the Matachine Society in Los Angeles, making him the great-grandfather of Pink Money in the US. We have never hesitated to embrace anybody who networks, but they need to tell us that they exist, if they wish to be part of our powerful network. Island and laager mentalities and large egos do not make money! The more, the merrier – and the more money moves around.
 
Deputy Editor: Alan Samons

Alan, a creative dynamo, studied fashion design and had his own fashion label for a number of years during which he specialised in men's formal attire. He also has a background dealing in Asian art and antiquities, as well as interior design and jewellery design. He still deals privately in antique Chinese and Japanese scrolls and Chinese glass. Alan joined the Gay Pages in 1996 and is a director of the Associated Business Network (Pty) Ltd, the publisher of the Gay Pages. He designs the Gay Pages and does all the graphics, including layout. A keen traveller, Alan enjoys reviewing the amazing destinations that South Africa has to offer. He also has a passion for travelling to Asia where he loves shopping and soaking in the culture. In his spare time, Alan designs and makes silver jewellery and offers private tuition sessions for couples and individuals wanting to make their own commitment rings or other special gifts (see www.alansamons.com). One of his art jewellery pieces was recently exhibited in Japan, where it received high acclaim.
 
Art and Entertainment Editor: Denise York

Denise is a trained artist and qualified art teacher. She is also a successful self-employed, multi-award winning financial consultant, with a well-established 22-year-old business. Painting is her passion and she paints portraits, landscapes, yachts and anything else for clients.
 
Canadian Contributor: Gabriel Janse van Rensburg
Gabriel designed the Gay Pages from the beginning in 1994 to 2000, when he emigrated to Canada with his life partner Dr. Gerrit van der Merwe. He is a successful self-employed graphic designer and photographer and also works for other International magazines. Gabriel specialises in international travel reviews that he writes, photographs and produces graphically for various publications. He travels to South Africa at least once a year for a little injection of local culture. South Africa will always be special to Gabriel and Gerrit who travel extensively.
 
Feature Writer: Hannes van Wyk
Hannes is a well-known actor with acareer spanning 17 years. He has performed the leading roles in about 30 stage shows, when he was a permanent stage actor for PACOFS and PACT. He also acted in several television series, for example “Torings”, “Laksman”, Angels, Shattered Mirrors etc.. Hannes is also a well-known television presenter in South Africa and abroad. He covered the Special Olympics (USA) 4 years ago and conducted interviews with Pres. Clinton, Pres. Mandela, Tony Danza and Arnold Schwarzenegger among others. He also did magazine and fashion programmes and interviewed people, the likes of Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss. He also worked extensively as a director, scriptwriter and producer on a number of projects. For the past 7 years, Hannes has portrayed the part of Krynauw du Bussion in the very popular soapie, Egoli. Hannes is based in Cape Town, but works in Johannesburg.
 
Feature Writer: Lizz Meiring
Lizz is known as one of South Africa's most versatile Entertainment Industry professionals – she is a celebrated actress, tv presenter, theatre director, dramatist, novelist, scriptwriter, lecturer, theatre producer, journalist, MC, voice artist and screenwriter.
 
 
Décor & Design Contributor: Jean-Pierre de la Chaumette
Having spent more than thirteen years in design, décor, broadcasting and publishing, both locally and abroad, Jean-Pierre de la Chaumette is the natural choice at reporting on everything that is hot and happening in our Décor and Lifestyle news feature. He currently heads up a PR and communications consultancy working on a kaleidoscope of South African and UK design, décor, beauty and lifestyle brands. If you have anything fabulous to share with our readers email him on jp@jpinc.co.za
 
Foreign Correspondent: Jimmy Im
Jimmy is a freelance writer based in New York City. He contributes regularly to Travel Weekly, Travel Age West, Travel World News, Genre, City, Queer.com and more. In addition to his work, he’s a nightlife socialite and DJ, and hosts the party Goodtimes at Eastern Bloc. In is free time, he likes to read, travel and play guitar..
 
 
Contributor, editorial assistant, social butterfly and Fag Hag: Michelle York
Michelle has contributed various humorous articles to the Gay Pages over the past five years after returning from the US, where she worked for 5 years. Sewing a kilo of raw prawns into an ex-lover’s curtain hems still ranks one of the best and smelliest forms of revenge she has yet dreamed up. Michelle helps out in the office from time-to-time, when we get too snowed under to cope. She also simply adores attending functions, where her loud whooping and hollering always gathers a crowd.
  The graphics department of the Gay Pages creates anything from glossy brochures to advertising campaigns and magazines.