Is Gaypon the Gay Groupon?

Groupon people (you know who you are), you may be interested to know that there’s a new coupon site in town – and it’s got gay-friendly written all over it. Gaypon, like Groupon, offers daily discounts on everything from fashion and entertainment to travel and gay weddings. The site also sometimes features coupons for multimedia music and movie downloads, plus live theatre and shows. The difference is that it’s geared toward LGBT consumers.

“Gaypon is a valid attempt at creating a groundswell of community support for local businesses that have demonstrated a desire for equality in their business practices by rewarding them with new customers,” reports Tech Crunch. Those included will be evaluated on how they rank in the LGBT community and on things like HRC’s Corporate Equality Index. Gaypon also belongs to the the LGBT Chamber on a national level.

Gaypon, which was created by Robert Graham of Clear Channel and Jason Buszta in West Bloomfield, Mich., says it will donate a portion of proceeds to local and national LGBT organizations, like The Trevor Project and Affirmations (one of the largest LGBT community centers in the country in the founders’ home state), though how much is still unclear.

“Our goal at Gaypon is to offer discounts to the things you do every day and introduce you to new things around town,” says the website, “all while saving money and supporting businesses that are proud of their diverse staff and clientele. Gaypon was started to help spread the word about businesses who support equality.”

Expect to see both big businesses featured on the site, as well as local, independently owned mom-and-pop shops. “While you may have heard of the big, gay-friendly corporations, you may not realize that your local mom-and-pop businesses are just as committed to equality,” says the site. “This is where Gaypon shines. We promote fair and just retailers of all sizes and allow them [to] share the spotlight with large corporations.”

And while daily deals are mostly centered around the company’s midwestern hub, Gaypon says deals will also be introduced in New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta and other major cities with significant LGBT populations. The site is currently asking interested users to sign up with their zip codes – the more Philly folks who do that, the more likely local businesses will be included.