So Susanne Fox decided to create a line of cards with the opposite of those qualities.

Fox, a 2010 graduate of Syracuse University’s interior design program now living in Brooklyn, has a friend whose gay co-workers were complaining about how stores do not sell man-on-man Valentine’s Day cards they could buy for their boyfriends. So on a whim, Fox decided to change that.

‘I was just listening to them complaining and realized there was no reason I couldn’t do something about it,’ Fox said. ‘I figured it would be fun.’

Fox created the line of cards, named Fox Design Valentine’s Card series, and started selling them early February on FoxDesignBrooklyn, her webpage on online marketplace Etsy. She said she brainstormed some ideas, sat down in front of her computer and got to work.

‘These were the first cards I’ve ever made, but it was a really easy and fun thing to do,’ she said.

Fox created six different cards geared toward the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. One features a woman grabbing another woman’s breast on the front, and the inside reads, ‘You’ve really got a hold on me.’ Another one depicts a man with his hand inside another man’s back pocket, and the inside reads, ‘Butt I want you, Valentine.’

‘I think the thing that people like about them is that they’re funny, but on the inside they’re actually sweet,’ Fox said.

She said her personal favorites are the ‘You’ve really got a hold on me’ card and a card that features a man with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. The front reads, ‘When you asked to borrow a fag,’ and the inside says, ‘I told you, come and get me. Glad to be your Valentine.’

‘It’s definitely the most vulgar,’ said Fox, referring to the cigarette card. ‘But the picture of the guy on the front is a direct outline of a picture of one of my friends, and the whole card is just funny.’

To illustrate the cards, Fox said she uses Adobe Creative Suites software, programs she learned to use while studying interior design.

Fox said she has gotten a positive reaction to the cards, which she sells through her website for $3.99 each. She said she has received a lot of messages from people who thought they were hilarious.

‘I got a few e-mails from people saying certain cards were perfect for their boyfriends and girlfriends,’ she said.

Fox worked with her best female friend, who is gay, to create this product for a market that is often excluded from Valentine’s Day.

‘I rarely ever see Valentine’s Day cards for gay people,’ Fox said. ‘This is a way to be more inclusive and a funny way to get people thinking about that.’

Breagin Riley, an assistant professor of marketing, pointed to census and political poll data that indicated more gay and lesbian adults are parenting and forming families, and legalizing civil unions is becoming more favorable among the American public.

The number of gay and lesbian families involving minorities is double the number of gay and lesbian families involving whites, according to a Jan. 18 article in The New York Times, suggesting the gay and lesbian market is diversifying and growing. It also indicates that alternative lifestyles, such as an LGBT lifestyle, are becoming more normalized. Enter the gay-themed Valentine’s Day cards.

‘This isn’t the first time a gay valentine has ever been made, but it’s definitely nice to put them on the market and have them be available,’ Fox said.

Fox said she has sold about 50 cards since she first began to sell them online. She said she wanted to sell them in stores, but she released them too late.

‘Most stores buy their inventory months in advance, so they already have their Valentine’s Day cards,’ she said. ‘But I’m definitely looking into it for next year. The cards have gotten a lot of press, and I think they’d sell a lot better if they were in stores.’

Fox said she hopes her future career includes interior design work, but she does not rule out creating more cards. She said she initially did not even plan to sell the cards but decided to go for it once she saw the potential for profit.

‘If I get in contact with the right person who wants to do some business, I’ll definitely consider making more cards,’ she said. ‘They’re really just a ton of fun.’

ertocci@syr.edu

Published on February 13, 2011 at 12:00 pm