Spending $513 billion a year, Nelson says, gay dollars are “nipping at the heels” of African American and Latino spending totals despite the distinctly smaller gay population. Ninety percent of gay men and lesbians, Nelson said, are loyal to organizations and companies that are loyal to the community. What’s more, gay men and lesbians are, according to Nelson, “two times more likely to own a small business.” Says Patricia Vivado, a vice president at JP Morgan Chase and board chairman of the NGLCC, “We are taking this to [Capitol] Hill and saying, ‘You have to start listening. This will be a community you can’t ignore.’”
http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=7856

The NGLCC is going about civil rights by using the market. It’s smart. Money is something Washington understands. And it’s a better use of that money than, say, the 2000 Millennium March on Washington, which accomplished little beyond creating a deficit for the organizers and making a show of pointless consumerism without a major political agenda.

Chance Mitchell points out that more than just benefits are on the agenda: In 36 states, for example, you can still be fired for being gay. The NGLCC wants to make corporations themselves push for the passage of the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, which has been stuck on the Hill since Republicans took over the House and Senate.