Shelly Allen and Jackie Branca of Allen-Branca Publishing, Inc have been publishing in the South Florida area for 10 years. Their publishing career began with the idea of a boating magazine and the self starters paired up with a graphic artist and began on a journey that has taken them down a publishing path that saw the success and sale of said boating magazine. The two turned their experience toward the pet industry. An era of pet publishing began with the start up of The Pet Planet Magazine. Which they developed from conception to completion. After publishing the pet magazine for a few years Allen and Branca saw an opportunity to impact the diverse lesbian and gay community of South Florida.

According to Allen, “I wanted to create an uplifting magazine that explored the entirety of the lesbian lifestyle, not just the obvious. We began delving into politics, women’s health issues, and featuring short stories. There are just so many aspects of the lesbian and gay lifestyle that do not involve sex and we felt we could relay that message in an effective way.”

Allen and Branca’s commitment to the community forced the two to chose between their beloved pet industry and the diverse community to which they belonged. “We needed to commit ourselves fully to the gir(L) project so we made the heart wrenching decision to sell The Pet Planet Magazine,” said Branca.

“The thing I love the most about publishing gir(L) Magazine is the honesty I can bring forth to the community as a whole. You won’t find anything in gir(L) Magazine that has been sugar coated, we tell it like it is, or at least the way we see it. The craziest part is that gir(L) Magazine has developed quite a following among the straight community as well. People really connect to the truth and that is a wonderful thing to experience,” according to Allen.

Allen and Branca’s commitment to this project has enabled them to put their best foot forward and launch a new web site, publish their first directory of lesbian and gay friendly businesses, develop a monthly newsletter, and expand their already large distribution.

According to Allen and Branca, “We love what we do. We love being able to impact our community (both gay and straight) in a positive way and we love being a large part of the community we care so much about.”