Queercents

Jennifer Corday is worthy of her one-name moniker. Known to many as merely Corday, she’s a Southern Cal rocker with nationwide appeal. Her recently released record, Superhero, is a colorful collection of pop rock that captures her red-hot intensity noted both onstage and off. Corday rocks and you’ll recognize her as a regular at Pride festivals and other venues around the country. Her music is also heard on film and TV, and is currently featured on the ABC prime time series “Samantha Who” starring Christina Applegate.

Corday works hard at her craft and understands the business side to all this music making. So while she has cash flow on her mind when waking up in the morning, she’s all about rock and roll when hitting the stage at night. Read on to learn how money intersects with music and I bet you’ll be buying her latest CD by the tenth question!

1. Your schooling is in classical music. Is it easier to make a living as a cellist or rocker?
A rocker for sure! I think I could make a living as a cellist, if I were to promote myself more in the classical world. I think there is a lot of money to be made there, especially if you form a string quartet and work weddings. It’s just not as exciting for me to do that – I am a rocker at heart!

2. Did your dad ever pressure you to join the family business?
My grandfather was an electrician and he opened a huge lighting showroom on Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach called Corday Lighting. I worked there summers with all my cousins while we were going to school. It was a great experience to learn the business and do sales, but it was tough to work for my grandfather – he was a bear and would yell at everyone! I got very close to my aunt however, Aunt Dee Dee, who was always my favorite aunt and was a role model for me my whole life – she eventually took over the business when my grandfather died. She was a strong lady, very smart and independent.

It’s funny because the store is right across the street from one of the most popular lesbian bars in Long Beach, The Executive Suite, and the girls that owned it used to come in and buy light bulbs. That was my first introduction to lesbians! I didn’t know I was gay at the time, but I guess you could say I was curious about what went on in that bar there across the street… Read the rest of this entry »

Jennifer Boylan is a best-selling author and professor at Colby College in Maine. Her new memoir is I’m Looking Through You: Growing Up Haunted, which is about growing up in a haunted house, and about what it means to be “haunted.”

Until 2001, Jennifer published under the name James Boylan and while she now has a perspective on “a life in two genders,” she also provides an interesting view about the financial realities of transitioning. Skip to Question 6! Or start from the top as Jennifer gets personal with all things money.

1. What are some preconceived notions about money that typically get associated with gender?
In my family, you’d go to my mother for small amounts of money, and she’d say no. Like, you needed five dollars for the school trip. She’d ask you why you needed five dollars, grill you about the whole thing. Then maybe, if you were lucky, you’d get two. You’d go to my father if you need a lot of money, like a hundred dollars for a new amplifier. And he’d always say yes.

2. Are there any money lessons in I’m Looking Through You?
Well, there’s a chapter where I’m the world’s worst bank teller. I was so dreamy then. I’d give people six thousand dollars when their check was for six hundred. Or I’d just lose tens of thousands of dollars in my drawer because I hadn’t counted it right, or left a wad of thousands by the coffee machine. Eventually they put me on “probation”, and my supervisor, Mrs. Muhammed, had to watch me like a hawk. That helped, but not much. Nothing they could do would make me less dreamy. Read the rest of this entry »

Armed with a well-known name, Candace Gingrich, made her own mark as an activist for the GLBT community over a decade ago. She first served as Human Rights Campaign’s National Coming Out Project Spokesperson in1995 and is currently HRC’s Senior Youth Outreach Manager where she works with and inspires queer youth around the country.

In anticipation of today’s webchat taking place at HRC (part of the “7 Days to a Better Financial You” campaign), we invited Candace to take her turn at our ten money questions. Read on as she puts the personal into personal finance. Enjoy!

1. As an activist, what does money mean to you?
In many ways it is the invisible discriminator when it comes to GLBT equality. When I am asked whether or not I’ve ever been discriminated against, my answer includes the often unnoticed ways that we are affected financially: paying federal taxes on domestic partner benefits; the income gap between queer and straight people; paying for lawyers and documents to protect our families; etc. There is also the damage that the myth of GLBT affluence does to efforts to secure GLBT equality.

2. What is your most significant memory about money?
The cast-iron mechanical bank collection I had growing up! One of my favorites was Uncle Sam - you’d put the coin in his hand and he would drop it into a satchel labeled “taxes”. Read the rest of this entry »

Andrew Makay is the owner and designer of N2N Bodywear, a line of sensual underwear, swimwear, and bodywear for men. While the majority of new businesses shut down within the first few years of operation, Andrew has been successfully playing with spandex for over a decade. He’s a maverick and risk-taker making threads in Los Angeles. Read on to learn how fashion and finances intersect below.

1. What sort of financial risks did you take when you first started your business?
Text book mistakes. Invested everything I owned, investments, savings, credit cards etc… without knowing anything about anything! Actor turned designer/businessman… you do the math!

2. How does money play into style and personal expression?
I’d like to say money buys taste but all you have to do is look around this town to know it ain’t so. Money allows you to do whatever you didn’t do when you had no money! Buy what you want when you want it or spend it on whoever you want. Read the rest of this entry »

Is pink the new green? You betcha! And at the forefront of this movement is Matthew Linden, the gay Co-founder of ConsciousBuild, a California creator of custom environmentally-friendly luxury homes. His high-end projects are constructed using reusable, renewable and recyclable products with minimal impact on the environment. Of course, these days we can’t mention housing without talking money and Matthew dishes below about all things green.

1. Has the economy and mortgage crisis had an effect on your business?
Yes, but not in the way one might think. I build very high-end “green” luxury homes, the buyers of which are not as easily effected by swings in the economy, nor the sub-prime mortgage crisis.

However, there are a lot of people in my industry out of work with a lot fewer homes being built. I have never had so many subcontractors coming to my construction sites looking for work - and their prices are getting more competitive.

2. What amount does building green add on to the final price of a home?
“Building green” is building responsibly. A home built “green” is a better quality home that is healthier to live in and will last longer. I am finding that “going green” is adding approximately 3%-5% to the bottom line of my luxury home product. Read the rest of this entry »

When Olivia’s “Cruise for Our Cause” heads to the Caribbean on March 30, 2008 it will be the first cruise experience dedicated to breast cancer, women’s health awareness and research funding. So it’s timely that we catch up with Dr. Susan Love, President and Medical Director of the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation. Her name and life work is synonymous with the breast cancer advocacy movement and it’s an absolute honor to have her participate in our money talk. Enjoy!

1. Is there a magic number in terms of dollars that will finally eradicate breast cancer?
The issue is not the number it is how it is being spent! Over a billion dollars have been spent on breast cancer research but we still do not know what the cause is and how to prevent it. A lot of research has been done on mice and rats and that has given us a lot of insight into breast cancer, but we can cure breast cancer in rodents and we can’t in women. We need to redirect the money to research on the earliest changes in women if we are going to eradicate this disease.

2. My gynecologist recently recommended the Halo Breast Pap Test. Why is the test so expensive? How long before it’s covered by most health insurance plans?
I wish we had an accurate “breast pap test” but more work needs to be done. There is data from the 1970’s that women who can express fluid from their nipple have a higher risk of breast cancer twenty years later but that does not translate to finding earlier cancers now! We are doing research in the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation to find markers in the fluid that can be used to identify which women are at risk but that is not ready for prime time yet. Read the rest of this entry »

A fourth season of Bravo’s hit reality show, Top Chef kicked off this week with a new batch of chef’testants hoping to win $100,000 in seed money to open a restaurant. Lisa Fernandes is one of three lesbians making the cut in Chicago and after the first episode; she’s still simmering with her sharp knives and saucy attitude. With all that dough up for grabs, it’s fitting to slip in ten money questions.

1. What are three things that stand out about the cost of living in Chicago vs. New York City?
One major thing I noticed was that gas is actually more expensive in Chicago than NYC. As for what everything else costs, I’m not really sure since I was busy with the show.

2. What is your most significant memory about money?
My most significant memory about money is when I needed a lot of it to buy a new car. I was working as a sous chef 5 days a week and as a line cook 4 days a week. I started my day at 7 AM and then went straight to the second job until after midnight. It was hard, but I made the money I needed and bought myself a brand new custom made MINI COOPER!!

3. What is your worst habit around finances?
I’m actually really good with my finances. I use an excel spreadsheet to budget all my money. I know it sounds like a lot to do but I’ve been using it for almost 10 years and it’s great. Read the rest of this entry »

Lesbians all over the world have heard of the Dinah Shore Weekend in Palm Springs, California and this year, Mariah Hanson, founder of The Dinah, has big plans for the ladies. Her star-studded line-up, taking place April 2-6, 2008, is considered the largest lesbian event in the world. Where the women are the money will follow and of course, these are the ones buying the first rounds of poolside drinks. Arrive early! Mariah takes a quick break from planning to answer our questions about the price of girl parties and what it might cost you!

1. How many smackers will it cost The Dinah-goer to do it up right?
About $230, if you’re talking smack.

2. What is your most significant memory about money?
Lol, that I liked it. Actually, I grew up poor and my Mother supported seven kids without much help. She was always worried about money. So my most significant memory is how money causes stress! However, I also saw how it seemed to command respect for those that possessed it. Read the rest of this entry »

Comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer claims there are financial benefits to being a bottom… a timely topic since her comedy special and documentary, “A Bottom on Top,” will soon be available on DVD. Of course, you can pre-order now! Suzanne made me say that… after all, even comedians need to make a buck. Read on as she talks moolah… there’s a money back guarantee you’ll be smirking by the end of this interview.

1. Is there truth to the saying, “Do what you love and the money will follow?”
There is no truth to the do what you love money will follow myth. I have made money doing things I hate and I never get paid for doing what I really love. Laundry. I think it should be “Do what everyone says you are good at and expect limited funds.” or even “Do what you love and probably get a rash.”

2. Are there cash prizes for the Suzanne Westenhoefer trivia contest?
There are no prizes for the Trivia Contest. Knowing you know me should be enough. This is designed with today’s estalker in mind.

3. What is your worst habit around finances?
I spend on lap dances for others. This is not a joke. I have to stop… Read the rest of this entry »

Bronson and Sam Page are young, handsome and in love. They’re living the Hollywood dream with their writing, acting and entrepreneurial pursuits. Bronson is a screenwriter, art director and keeper of the well-written and designed blog, LovesickBilly.com. Sam is the stud behind Sam Page Fitness where he operates three private training studios in Southern California. He puts Jackie Warner to shame with his health & fitness writings syndicated worldwide and chronicled on his blog, PeaceLoveLunges.com. Their diverse history sets the stage for a good money story. Let’s start with nickels and nuptials…

1. Was the money well spent on your wedding?
An unconventional wedding in traditional clothing, I’d say. It was a Unitarian Universalist, black-tie, late-afternoon wedding with 150 guests, shrimp and grits as one of the passed hors d’oeuvres, and Chi Chi LaRue as the DJ and emcee. Some of our friends generously gifted and discounted their services, which helped to ensure everything was top-notch, and the rest participated in HoneyLuna, contributing to our honeymoon in Barcelona and Ibiza.

We knocked off a high-end NYC designer’s cake at Hansen’s here in L.A., and it was fresh and delicious, and a third of the price. Instead of altar florals, we placed two 7’ potted Magnolias that are now planted in our front yard. Be creative. Schedule around the Barney’s sale. Stay practical (or green) with guest gifts. A friend did a custom remix CD of our favorite meaningful tracks of the moment, and everyone left went home with a copy. We spent about $20K – a pittance for the best day of our lives. If you want to see for yourself, check out bronsam.com. Read the rest of this entry »