• by Karl Greenberg , November 8, 2013

Luxury auto brand Lexus is sponsoring a new video series at online community-input driven travel site GayCities.com. 

The video series "Out in GayCities" features couples driving up and down the west coast in a new 2014 Lexus IS. There are also a series of five videos shot in the 2013 Lexus LS 460, per the site. 

Each video features someone notable in the community presenting the drivers with a challenge to complete before continuing their journey. The programs showcase destinations, while spotlighting vehicle features and functionality.

One series, filmed on the East Coast, centers on a couple, Steve and Wade, driving a red Lexus LS 460 F from Washington, D.C., to New York City. They make stops along the way, and give relationship advice to the puppets from the musical  "Avenue Q."

The second series, featuring friends Josh and Justen, centers on their road trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles in an IS 350 F Sport AWD. The trip included a visit to a Los Angeles a batting cage for hitting lessons with out former Major League baseball star Billy Bean, now a realtor in LA. The site says the videos began a five-week, once-a week release cycle on Nov. 5. The videos are also at GayCities.com/Lexus.

GayCities has had sponsorship deals this year with Stoli Premium Vodka, AT&T, and Caesars Entertainment.

In a YouGov BrandIndex survey from June this year, Ford was the only automaker to make the list of 20 brands that LGBT consumers said were the most gay-friendly. The automaker also had a perfect score on the Corporate Equality Index, a study by the Human Rights Campaign. 

A study by GayWheels.com about four years ago put Subaru at the top of the list of gay-friendly auto brands, with VW and Ford a fairly distant second and third place. Subaru advertised on Logo and sponsored The "L" Word. The site, in another study, found that 70% of LGBT car buyers said it was important that auto companies be gay-friendly.

Most automakers now are involved in marketing to the LGBT community. Most recently, Buick announced that for the fourth year in a row it will be sponsor of Out Magazine's Out100 awards ceremony in New York on Nov. 14. The program will include performances by Debbie Harry of Blondie, The Dolls, and out country star Steve Grand.