Inspiring VOYAGES
PRIDE VOYAGER IS A SAFE ONLINE ENVIRONMENT WHERE THE LGBT COMMUNITY AND THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILIES CAN CELEBRATE DIVERSITY, FIND RELEVANT INFORMATION, BE INSPIRED BY THEIR PEERS AND CHAT WITH LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE
For a modest subscription members get access to articles, news and opinion pieces, a bespoke social network, a members-only forum, exclusive offers and competitions. As the site is written by the community, for the community, articles and opinion pieces are consistently honest, inclusive and, often, very funny. Life is undoubtedly stranger than fiction as many of the stories reveal.
But that doesn’t mean the content is lightweight. It takes light and shade to make a rainbow and the site won’t shy away from controversial topics or hard-hitting testimonials. Subjects like domestic violence, homophobia and workplace bullying will be opened up for discussion and it is hoped that members will be able to share their own experiences and coping methods.
Pride Voyager encourages members to take an active role in the online community. Thoughtprovoking features and first-person testimonials written by members are welcomed, as are personal insights and help, guidance and support for other members.
“From the outside, the LGBT community can look like one great big glitter-filled party, but the truth is, it’s often a very lonely place to be,” says Rebecca Manning, Director of Pride Voyager. “It can be especially difficult for those who live in small or rural areas where help and support is hard to come by. Our online community is designed to be inclusive so wherever you live and wherever you are on your voyage, you’ll find friendship, advice, support and a lot of fun.”
The membership firewall is there to protect the community, providing a secure and supportive environment where members can share opinions, ask questions and raise issues openly. It will be a place for debate and discussion, where differences of opinion can be shared, although the site has a strict zero tolerance policy on any bullying, aggression or harassment.
Members can meet like-minded people through the site’s social network. But, unlike other social media, friendships can be made without interference from so-called “targeted” advertising. Pride Voyager protects member’s data and promises never to sell any details to third parties.
There will also be opportunities for members to meet face-to-face at members-only parties and events.
The site is underpinned by a strong ethical
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policy. The only advertising it will carry will be for charities and support groups for the community. “This is a social, not a commercial, enterprise,” explains founder Bob Bhania. “We give free advertising space to like-minded charities because we’re more than aware that it’s not always easy being part of this community. We don’t take any commission for any product sold through the site either. We cover our costs through the membership fee and all profits are either given to charity or returned to the community through membership benefits.”
Membership subscription costs have been kept deliberately low to allow as many people as possible to be able to access the site. And once members have signed up, they will automatically get access to exclusive offers and free to enter competitions with discounts and prizes worth considerably more than the subscription.
As well as LGBT-specific charities, there are two charities that are particularly close to the Pride Voyager team’s hearts: David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation and Game Rangers International. Members will be given the opportunity to bid for, or win, exclusive prizes and experiences where all the money raised will go straight to these charities. To find out more about Pride Voyager visit www.pridevoyager.co.uk or join the Facebook group
REBECCA MANNING IS THE CO-FOUNDER OF PRIDE VOYAGER
So what is Pride Voyager?
Pride Voyager is something very new. It’s a kind of community for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people and all those in between. We’re looking to give you a place that is safe where you can share your ideas and thoughts. We’re kind of an antiFacebook. It looks like Facebook and it’s got the same tools but it doesn’t sell your details or put in inappropriate adverts.
We’re also arranging special offers and deals just for our members and no-one else. We’re looking at organising events including high end networking events and also encouraging our members to set up their own groups and forums.
Why the name Pride Voyager?
I know it’s a cliché (and I’m going to punch myself for saying it!) but life is a voyage and a journey and it certainly is in our community.
What inspired you to start up Pride Voyager?
I’ve been through gender reassignment and started my transition six years ago. Although things have improved since, I still found discrimination wherever I went and from unlikely places including a university and a charity. I also found that tracking down information could be very tricky even with the internet. So it’s much better to find one safe and professional place where everything would be and where there are no trolls or anything like that.
I’m also a qualified mental health nurse and I know that mental health in our community is definitely an issue, along with domestic violence, housing and other social issues. What I wanted to do was to bring everything together so that, yes, you could have the fun side and go to the events, and get the deals, but you could also have access to the support side.
What makes Pride Voyager different from other LGBT websites?
Everyone who works for us is in the community with a wide variety of expertise. We’re also very ethical and focussed on what we want to do and – with no disrespect to other sites - we want to make Pride Voyager very professional and easy to use. We’d like it to be a space which your mum or dad could have a look at.
What is Pride Voyager’s target audience?
We know that our community is diverse and everyone is unique so we don’t want to pigeonhole people. Our main aim is that if you’re not happy with your membership, or you find that you haven’t used it, then you get a refund. We also hope with the deals and the offers we are putting in place that you’ll make the membership back.
Finally, if you had to describe Pride Voyager in three words what would they be?
Information, inspiration, aspiration
“Pride Voyager encourages members to take an active role in the online community”