Lansing Lists: Top 5 LGBT-Friendly Enterprises

#1 LGBT-Friendly Enterprise: Gone Wired Cafe - With an eclectic mix of food and beverages, this eatery has become a favorite of the LGBT community. Specifically, Lansing Association for Human Rights hosts a weekly coffee night here, and many LGBT people and groups have hosted organizing and other meetings, including the development of the LGBT prom.

 

#2 LGBT-Friendly Enterprise: Preuss Pets - Preuss is a family friendly location offering a wide variety of animals and pets, and a diverse staff that reflects the community. Owners Rick Preuss and his wife Debbie Preuss actively reach out to the LGBT community, recognizing that community as a key asset for their success.

#3 LGBT-Friendly Enterprise: Old Town - The business association has for years tried to keep Old Town’s vision the same as former “Mayor of Old Town” Robert Busby’s. Busby started the revitalization of the area years ago and wanted it to be a community where everyone, particularly artists, feels safe. As a result, the area boasts three bars catering to LGBT clients. When the neighborhood was plastered in anti-gay graffiti a couple of years ago, Old Town rallied to cover up the hateful messages, and condemned the attacks.

#4 LGBT-Friendly Enterprise: Theio’s - This late-night greasy spoon is often the site of meetings of LGBT people. One can find the drag queens from Spiral out of drag plotting their next appearances, or LGBT couples on a date. It is a greasy late-night favorite after a night of drinking. The staff go out of their way to make LGBT people feel welcome. Ironically the business is owned by a cousin of homo-hater John Mangopoulos, the also-ran local politician with ties to the campus-based Young Americans for Freedom, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has named a hate group.

# 5 LGBT-Friendly Enterprise: City Pulse - The City Pulse has long been open and affirming of LGBT issues both editorially and with space.

Editor’s Note: Note that Todd did not include LBGT-owned establishments or those that cater exclusively to the LGBT community. Also, in the spirit of transparency, Todd wants people to know that he once did PR for Preuss Pets. I cannot think of a better endorsement than one that comes from a former employee who would feel obliged to say good things if he didn’t mean them.