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Business

The Advocate brings readers the latest news regarding developments in the LGBT business world. Find out the happenings of gay business leaders that are moving the Invisible Hand in the United States and around the world like Apple's Tim Cook, American Eagle's Robert Hanson, and 3M Unitek's Mary Jo Abler. Learn tips from the pros about managing the business affairs of day-to-day life for the present and future. Prepare for retirement and learn how changing laws regarding same-sex marriage, partnership, and adoption affects financial planning.
Federal agents patrol the U Street corridor, an area known for its bars and clubs, on orders from President Donald Trump, in Washington, D.C., on August 15, 2025
News

D.C. bar owners say Trump’s federal law enforcement crackdown is killing their business

“This is not sustainable,” Dave Perruzza, a gay business owner in D.C., told The Advocate.

Apple CEO Tim Cook displays an engraved glass disc presented to US President Donald Trump during an event in the Oval Office
News

Apple CEO Tim Cook bends the knee to Donald Trump with a golden Oval Office gift & $100 billion pledge

“It’s a unique unit of one,” the Apple CEO said at the White House, adding, “designed by a U.S. Marine Corps corporal.”
David Geffen Donovan Michaels
News

David Geffen sued by estranged husband Donovan Michaels, accused of 'exploitation'

Michaels, 32, alleges that Geffen, 82, exploited a “vulnerable, marginalized young gay Black man.”

Delta A330 taking off from airport alongside Azores at sunset lakes forest mountains Sete Cidades Portugal Europe
News

Delta passenger recounts harrowing JFK-bound flight’s emergency landing in remote North Atlantic islands

Ken Elder set out for a vacation in Spain. He didn’t expect to spend 30 hours stranded on his way back.

LGBTQIA bakery owner and staff
News

10% of new business owners are LGBTQ+ — and they're offering better benefits

LGBTQ+ business owners are more likely to offer their employees benefits such as health care and retirement, a new study found.

drag queen at LGBTQIA pride march holding JK Rowling protest sign Manchester UK 2023 alongside Booksmith an independent bookstore located in Haight Ashbury neighborhood San Francisco CA
News

San Francisco bookstore drops ‘Harry Potter’ over J.K. Rowling’s anti-trans donations

The Booksmith recently posted a notice letting customers know that they would not be selling the Harry Potter series

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The front of a Target store.
Business

Target's CEO to step down after store's sluggish performance — and amid pro-LGBTQ+ pushback

The company made the announcement Wednesday, following continued struggles to keep up with retailers like Walmart and TJ Maxx.

David Geffen with now estranged husband Donovan Michaels courtside at NBA Los Angeles Lakers game
News

David Geffen responds to estranged husband Donovan Michaels' lawsuit, denies 'exploitation'

David Geffen is refuting claims made by his estranged husband, Donovan Michaels.

Apple CEO Tim Cook USA President Donald Trump
News

Apple CEO Tim Cook pledges $100 billion for Trump manufacturing program

Tim Cook is set to announce $100 billion for Trump's manufacturing program at a White House press conference on Wednesday.

LinkedIn exposes transgender users to targeted harassment after company quietly changes hate speech policy
News

LinkedIn exposes transgender users to targeted harassment after company quietly changes hate speech policy

The changes involve edits to LinkedIn’s Professional Community Policies, specifically the “Hateful and Derogatory Content” and “Harassment and Abusive Content” sections.
elon musk in soft focus and cellphone displaying Grok AI software app
News

Elon Musk's Grok AI gave instructions how to rob and rape a liberal commentator

The incident occurred the same day Grok posts included praise for Adolf Hitler and anti-Semitic remarks.

Void Chicago flier mocking chicfila
News

Chicago restaurant parodies Chick-fil-A with 'Chick-Feel-Gay' Pride Month sandwich

Void's "Chick-Feel-Gay" event pledged 20 percent of proceeds to Brave Space Alliance, an LGBTQ+ group that shares a building with Chick-fil-A.

Activist, actor, and Stonewall Inn Gives Back board member Angelica Christina
Exclusives

As companies stop sponsoring Pride, this NYC brewery is giving money directly to trans people

"We want to be very clear: our support isn’t conditional, and it’s not new," Brooklyn Brewery President Robin Ottaway tells The Advocate.

Chicago Blackhawks NHL hockey logo
News

Chicago Blackhawks sued by former employee who claims he was fired for being gay

The Blackhawks' former PR manager accused his supervisor of "discriminating against him because he was a homosexual male."

Benjamin Coy
Print Issue

Benjamin Coy is using his voice to amplify the voices of others

In our 2025 Thriving Under 30 feature, we highlight several young LGBTQ+ activists and advocates who are already changing the world.

Robby Starbuck 2021
News

Meta appoints anti-DEI and anti-LGBTQ+ conspiracy theorist Robby Starbuck as AI bias advisor

Robby Starbuck has been appointed as an AI bias advisor at Meta with the goal of making the company's chat bot less "woke."

Angelo Carusone Media Matters Journalist Elon Musk SpaceX Tesla CEO
News

Liberal watchdog Media Matters is in serious trouble after being sued by Elon Musk

The organization, which monitors far-right media, is navigating very troubled waters as the Trump administration and Elon Musk wage a legal war against it.

Creators fighting against antidrag laws including Bow Bow by Kyle Kitty Girl Nails The Black Bard
Voices

Nails, gowns, and resistance: Creators who are fighting back against anti-drag laws

Opinion: Beneath the rhinestones and wigs lies a robust network of resistance, with entrepreneurs making drag safer, louder, and more defiant than ever.

Journalist Jonathan Capehart 2022 National LGBTQ Task Force Gala car magnet for sale Washington Post democracy dies in darkness
News

Jonathan Capehart confirms he’s the latest high-profile voice to leave Jeff Bezos’s Washington Post

The award-winning and respected gay journalist announced the move on Tuesday.

VACAYA travelers
Business

This LGBTQ+ travel company’s mission of inclusivity is radical & ‘You’re more than welcome’

As the U.S. government tries to push trans and nonbinary people out of society, one travel company is embracing guests of all identities and sizes.