🌊 Start a Gay Cove Chapter

Bring the Gay Cove experience to your local lake! Whether you’re hosting a few boats or building a thriving weekend community, our chapters create fun, welcoming spaces for LGBTQ+ boaters to connect and celebrate on the water. As a chapter lead, you’ll get everything you need to launch quickly and confidently.

🎯 What It Means to Be a Chapter

Gay Cove chapters are independently run, locally organized groups that share our mission of inclusivity, celebration, and community connection. When you start a chapter, you’ll get:

  • Use of the Gay Cove name and Gay Cove logo
  • A branded domain or subdomain (e.g., laketravis.gaycove.com)
  • A custom chapter page on GayCove.com
  • A chapter-specific merch storefront (with your own branding)
  • Promotion through Gay Cove’s national site and community channels

🛍️ Merch & Storefront Program

Every chapter gets a custom merch storefront — this is a core part of how Gay Cove sustains the platform and makes it easy for you to get started without the overhead.

  • We handle fulfillment, credit card processing, and shipping
  • You don’t need to set up or manage inventory
  • A portion of merch proceeds goes toward your chapter’s hosting, branding, and web support
  • As a bonus, your first year of licensing and hosting is included when you launch with a merch store

If you plan to sell or give away merch in person, bulk pricing is available — and we’ll help you set that up.

⚖️ Operating a Chapter

We’re here to make this easy and exciting — but we also care about consistency and community safety.

Chapter Leaders agree to:

  • Run their chapter independently — you’ll manage local events, communications, and logistics
  • Uphold Gay Cove’s values: inclusion, safety, respect, and celebration of LGBTQ+ identity
  • Sign a simple agreement that outlines:
    • Use of the Gay Cove name and logo
    • Participation in the storefront fulfillment program
    • Guidelines for how you represent your chapter online and in-person

You are not an employee or legal representative of Gay Cove. You’re a licensed partner, building your own local community with access to our shared brand and platform.

💬 FAQs

Do I need to be a business or nonprofit to apply?
Not at all. Anyone can start a Gay Cove chapter — you don’t need to form a business, file any paperwork, or have a big team. Most chapters begin with just one or two passionate people who know their lake and want to create a safe space for others. We’ll provide the branding, web presence, and merch tools so you can focus on the fun part: connecting your local LGBTQ+ boating community.

Do you charge for use of the name or website?
We have a basic licensing agreement that covers brand use, web support, and storefront hosting — but there’s no upfront fee if you use the official merch store. A portion of sales helps cover those costs automatically, so you’re never out of pocket just to get started.

Can I sell or buy my own merch?
You can purchase Gay Cove merch at bulk rates for giveaways or in-person events. You may not print or distribute items using the Gay Cove name or logo outside of our official channels unless you receive written permission. This helps keep everything aligned and avoids confusion. If you want to collaborate or have ideas, we’re open to those conversations!

Can I create my own logo for my chapter?
Yes. Chapters can either license and use a co-branded version of the official Gay Cove logo (with their lake name incorporated), or create their own unique visual identity for their region. You’re welcome to design something local that fits your vibe — just keep it respectful of the community and consistent with the spirit of Gay Cove.

✨ Ready to Get Started?

Complete the application form below and tell us a bit about your lake, your local community, and your goals for the chapter. We’ll review your submission, follow up if needed, and walk you through next steps and the chapter agreement.

Let’s bring Gay Cove to your lake.