CABO Means Opportunities
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April 12, 2011
CABOgraphy - Gricel Martinez Ocasio: CABO Turns the Table on this TRT Publisher
Contact:
Dan Weaver, Secretary (203) 687-7233 ; jrnydan@aol.com Her own story is worthy of a banner headline. Publisher Gricel Martinez Ocasio is one half of the tour d’ force behind the Rainbow Times, the leading LGBT publication in New England. Sharing top billing is her editor in-chief, co-owner, wife and “love of her life, Nicole Lashomb. In 2006, they gave birth to a business that now boasts a readership of over 65,000. We got out our reporter’s notebook recently with a few questions for Gricel about life in and out of print.
What makes CABO so significant to you? CABO is significant to The Rainbow Times because it is serves as a liaison amongst LGBT business and LGBT-friendly businesses in the CT area and beyond that wish to know of each other’s existence, services, products and contributions. CABO keeps the LGBT community updated and abreast all things LGBT. In addition, CABO supports non-profit LGBT organizations, which shows me that CABO is more than just about doing business. Why are organizations like this so important to our community? Because they promote safe networking amongst members of the LGBT community in an environment of trust and a sense of balance and they also enhance and broaden business evolution by its members’ interactions, successes and business models. CABO Executive Director Jenn Tracz writes a monthly column for you…. Jenn is outstanding. I know that other people behind the scenes are seen as CABO’s strength, but CABO would not be where it is today without Jenn’s influx of energy, enthusiasm, and professional camaraderie. In her role as Executive Director, Jenn brings excellence with everything that she does and that finesse permeates what CABO is about. I am consistently astounded at Jenn’s abilities to market CABO effectively, to keep CABO personal enough that its members feel they belong to the CABO family, and I cannot commend her enough for how she runs this organization – as a “super” woman. For those not familiar with The Rainbow Times-- tell us a bit about it and why it’s a great way for businesses to reach the LGBT audience? The Rainbow Times is an LGBT monthly newspaper that covers most of New England, but whose major markets are still Massachusetts and Connecticut. It is the only LGBT newspaper with a solid presence in CT and the producer and designer of the CT Pride Guide every year since 2007. We strive to keep our community informed of everything that happens, pros or cons, and strengthen the printed issues with the strongest social media than that of any other LGBT newspaper in New England. We want to connect businesses with one another, in a similar manner that CABO does, with a wider reach. We go to every New England state; we connect you across the board. And, we are the main media sponsor and producer of three of New England’s main Pride Guides, the Northampton Pride Guide, the CT Pride Guide and the Boston Pride Guide. Your early childhood was in Puerto Rico…how do you end up here? I grew up only speaking one language, Spanish. I started English grammar classes when I was 5 years old. My dreams always included educating others and doing so in more than one language. Because of that, I made a commitment to get a journalism degree from Temple University, even though I lived the first years of my life in Puerto Rico. I always dreamed of others, of communicating with the masses and making a difference; somehow leaving a tiny mark, even if just one grain of sand at a time. Today, I feel blessed to have acquired a bit of that. I do not stand for bullies, and you find bullies in business today, many of them. I want fairness and equality and to live in a world that accepts people for whom they are, regardless of their ethnicity, skin color, sexuality, credo, etc. I only hope that I can see some of it one day. Who were your mentors? My mentors are my father and mother, José Miguel and Patria, who taught me that settling for less was not acceptable and who instilled in me the importance of education. I also have to credit my aunt Aida, for being my light when there was darkness. And, I must mention my friend and life-sister Lisa, for always being there for me. You have had such a great career ... what are some of your personal highlights? I think that my career is in constant evolution. I feel that being fair, not playing games and representing yourself and your business with transparency and a high sense of pride and quality are the best attributes that have made TRT shine in such a short period of time. My personal highlights include receiving my Bachelor’s degree at a time when I did not think I would make it in the U.S. Most importantly, I feel happy with my work for Hispanics suffering from HIV/AIDS because often language and cultural barriers got in their way of receiving good healthcare and prevention information. I did not want it to be the case for the Mexican immigrants living in Alabama, and I do not want it to be the case for anyone at all, whether they are Hispanic, Indians, Russian, etc. Personally, I will feel happier when I finish writing my book to let other lesbians of Hispanic descent and women in general know that “the dream of fairness and equality” is possible, even when there are so many obstacles in front of us. You have been involved with some wonderful Hispanic publications-- is there anything unique to the Hispanic LGBT community? Yes, there is a great level of uniqueness to the Hispanic LGBT community because Hispanics come from so many different countries. Most of these countries speak a common language, Spanish, while others maintain Spanish and other dialects to communicate. In the Hispanic LGBT community the culture, music, beliefs, etc. are different from those of the mainstream LGBT community. For instance, when Ricky Martin came out it was not a big deal for the Caucasian LGBT community, but it was a tremendous stride for the Hispanic community because we lack the huge-star role models who are out and due to the ignorance that still exists in Latin America. Like Martin said in his speech when accepting the GLAAD awards, we need GLAAD and GLAD, and Love Makes a Family and others in Latin America where there is still so much ignorance, hatred and crimes towards the LGBT community. What gives you the greatest joys off the clock? (Smiles) You know, it is something that those close to me know by now – spending time with my beautiful wife and the love of my life, Nicole. I have learned incredibly from Nicole and from her sense of complete and utter fairness in a world where I once thought that was not possible. She brought that faith back into my life and I will never be able to thank her enough for it and enough for her love. What is the legacy you'd like to leave? Personally, I’d like to have girls (lesbians or not) that come from marginalized backgrounds and from any heritage to believe in themselves and make their dreams come true. I need them to know that education and a strong sense of self are key to attaining any of their goals. I want to touch on some of these girls’ lives who think that the answer is to get pregnant at 14 because they do not know any better. I want them to dream and I want to help them dream! Professionally, I’d like to see The Rainbow Times continue to grow, long after I am the Publisher. In years to come, until there is full LGBT equality in this country there will always be a need for publications such as The Rainbow Times. Anything else you'd like to say? I want to thank every person, business owner, friend and acquaintance who saw Nicole and I when we first started The Rainbow Times. I want them to know that we still remember, we still love, we are still here – even when busier. I want them to know that their belief in me, in us, in The Rainbow Times, made a difference. It still does. It always will. Pick up your copy of The Rainbow Times at any CABO event or in stores and more throughout New England, you find them via their website (therainbowtimesnews.com), FaceBook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, and even MySpace. Do you have someone you’d like profiled as a CABOography? Email Dan Weaver at dweaver@barmontproductions.com . Be sure to ask Dan how videos can help market your business. | ||||
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