.gay Pre-Register Domain - .gay Domain Information

Top Level Design, LLC's mission is to create a dedicated space in the root zone for those involved in the various aspects of homosexual culture. We recognize the size and diversity of the individuals identifying as LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,, Trans, Queer/Questioning) and want to welcome everyone underneath a succinct and widely understood top-level domain. Labeling those that identify through queer gendering or sexuality proves to be difficult and widely controversial, both to those identifying as queer and those that do not. Thus, it is worth noting that there is merit to implementing .lesbian, .bisexual, .trans, .queer, and .lgbtq, but even then, those individuals that don't fit cleanly into the confines of a single definition are not represented in these root-level distinctions. There are plenty of people that defy distinct labelling, and identify themselves through fluid notions of gender and sexuality. This is precisely why we at Top Level Design, LLC believe that a .gay TLD could never be delegated through a Community Priority application, especially if it claims to represent the entirety of the LGBTQ community. Just because it is often easiest to try to fit others' gender and sexual preferences into socially constructed boxes, whether heterosexual or LGBTQ, does not mean that the minority who participate in multiple self-definitions at any one time can be ignored, or that we have the right to create labels for them. This must be kept in mind as the ICANN community decides how to proceed with a .gay TLD, especially in the case of a Community Application that proclaims the support of the entire LGBTQ community.

This is why we are proposing an open .gay TLD. To allow maximum freedom of expression within these non-heterosexual circles. While it may be that individuals identifying as homosexual men feel most comfortable with the "gay label," we recognize the rights of anyone who identifies with or is passionate about gay and queer culture to have a voice on a .gay TLD. We do not want to monitor or restrict the activities of a group of individuals that have spoken so loudly and proudly through so many different voices. We believe that by our placing a premium on individual self-expression, we are fulfilling a major tenet of LGBTQ culture, which also maps well onto the multi-stakeholder model of Internet governance.

The LGBTQ community and the identifiers used are in flux; some time ago, the term "gay" described what was perceived to be all non-heterosexual people. This, of course, was not the case. And as these other individuals fought to reclaim previously derogatory words, such as lesbian and queer, the notions of who was "gay" and how we can refer to them expanded. More fluid labels have been gaining traction, and while LGBT (no Q) was seen as a more appropriate and inclusive label than "gay" as early as a decade ago, people have begun adding the Q to recognize those that have more elusive self-definitions. Thus, we believe that a .gay TLD could never fully-represent the nuanced LGBTQ community. Still, we believe that this will be the most marketable and widely understood umbrella term, which consequently lends itself to being used as a TLD.

So, given that there is no clear and perfect solution to how to best provide a TLD for this diverse group, it seems to us that a .gay TLD is an encouraging place to start. It is an internationally understood word that largely denotes homosexual or queer gender and sexual identification. It is an umbrella term, and while we recognize that the whole LGBTQ community may not feel it is their own, or be supportive of a .gay TLD, we believe a large contingent of queers will be able to identify with it. It is also a succinct three letter word that will match the paradigm of many of the most popular, current TLD offerings.

The .gay TLD promises to be one of the most culturally progressive and innovative TLDs introduced through ICANN's New gTLD Program. Given that this unprecedented program will allow Internet users to better harmonize their interests and online activities with the root zone, it is only fitting that a large contingent of individuals are recognized and catered to. This has the potential to be an uplifting and validating development that will positively affect millions of individuals worldwide. It is our goal to fulfill the revolutionary and innovative potential of ICANN's New gTLD Program in a way that allows the Internet to develop as a more socially sensitive medium that better reflects the diverse world it connects.

Furthermore, it is our goal at Top Level Design, LLC to push beyond any controversy, ignorance, or ideology that will likely be encountered along the path to implementation of .gay. There are millions of individuals, both homosexuals and heterosexuals, that will benefit from the creation of a space where prevailing notions of identity, gender, sexuality, and society can be openly discussed and freely questioned. We have noted that any apparently uniform gay community is actually far more complex than some would have it characterized, and consequently we know that we will receive opposition and support from inside and outside this diverse group. We hope to work closely with anyone who is ready to create a vibrant and open online space, and to reassure gay and queer advocates that a .gay TLD will benefit queers and homosexuals, their families, friends, and their cause for equal rights. We also hope to educate and inspire outreach, and to help decrease the level of hate and ignorance that is all too often brought into discussions of homosexuality.

This promises to be an exciting development for ICANN, Internet users, gays, and queers. We don't expect it to be easy, but we believe it is necessary. ICANN cannot choose to validate the rights of certain groups involved in its multi-stakeholder processes instead of others, and so we know that implementation of a .gay TLD is inevitable. Thus, we encourage all other parties that are invested in the ICANN multi-stakeholder model to work with us to create the most safe, secure, and prideful .gay TLD possible.

Furthermore, it is Top Level Design, LLC's goal to make the .gay TLD a viable and profitable business. We believe this to be the most likely scenario, and the projections and financial analysis included in this application demonstrate such. We hope to grow at a rate that allows us to continually improve our registry offerings, increase benefits for both our customers and employees, and develop a foundation or other means of reinvesting in the gay advocacy. We are particularly interested in developing a fund to encourage tolerance education and gay youth outreach in international primary schools. However, our commitments and projections at this time are focused on conservatively estimating our revenue in order to best prepare for a TLD market with the possibility of many more TLDs.

i.) What is the goal of your proposed gTLD in terms of areas of specialty, service levels, or reputation?

It is our expectation that .gay will be primarily used by homosexuals, queers, and those individuals that are involved in supporting gay culture, such as advocacy, outreach, and civil rights. Given the wide range of what gay can mean to a specific individual or a group of individuals, and who considers themselves gay, we do not intend to limit the gTLD to a specific community within international gay culture. For example, female-born individuals who have since identified as gay men, regardless of any medical measures taken to facilitate a physical identification, will be just as welcome as homosexual men. While many people may not understand exactly how nuanced gay and queer identification is, we believe that "gay" is a widely understood word and concept, and that the average Internet user will understand that the content of a .gay domain will be geared towards the expression and celebration of gay and queer culture and lifestyles on the Internet.

We hope to create an esteemed reputation throughout the widespread and diverse gay and queer populace by garnering the support of prominent international gay advocacy organizations, gay cultural icons and individuals, and prominent institutions involved in supporting homosexuals and queers. This will be done both before and after our launch and as an aspect of a comprehensive marketing strategy. By securing endorsements from these organizations and individuals, and by getting them to create an online presence in the .gay TLD, we hope to solidify a positive and recognizable reputation as the best TLD option for those passionate about gay culture. However, we firmly believe that while these endorsements may help our marketing efforts, what ultimately matters most is the reputation created throughout the entire gay and queer populace, and not with specific well-known members. Thus, we will focus on creating a safe and secure space that is targeted at all relevant users and not some sections thereof; we believe that pursuing this bottom-up model is not only in the best interest of the productive development of the .gay TLD, but that it further underscores the importance of the bottom-up, multi-stakeholder model of Internet governance.

ii.) What do you anticipate your proposed gTLD will add to the current space, in terms of areas of competition, differentiation, or innovation?

We at Top Level Design, LLC, believe one of the most significant innovations facilitated by the implementation of the .gay TLD will be the development of a root zone and Internet that more accurately reflect the diverse world we live in. This TLD will create a space where society as a whole, and certain sections thereof, are able to interact and participate in a way that is specific to their wants and needs. It will allow those that are proud of their lifestyle, or those proud to support gay lifestyles, to digitally network and interact in a more cohesive and comprehensive way. This has tremendous potential to allow gays and those that support gays to strengthen their influence and better facilitate education and outreach.

This does not mean we expect that all of the gay-centric sites will want to move to a .gay extension. Many individuals may think that their commercial, gay-catered business is better served by .com, or that their non-profit gay outreach organization is at home in .org. Consequently, by adding a .gay to the root zone, ICANN will be improving existing TLDs by allowing them to become more focused on their intended significance, while simultaneously providing a differentiated and specific extension for those who identify with gay culture. This will certainly facilitate more TLD competition, and allow the current offerings to become significantly more differentiated than they currently are.

iii.) What goals does your proposed gTLD have in terms of user experience?

Top Level Design, LLC believes the .gay extension, though broadly defined by the wide spectrum of what constitutes gay, is largely self-explanatory and its content is readily apparent to both potential registrants and end-consumers. We hope that the Internet experience of both types of users will therefore be enhanced and simplified by the implementation of .gay into the root zone. Registrants will have the opportunity to clearly, and we hope proudly, identify themselves with gay culture. Internet users browsing and using sites with a .gay extension will be confident that the website they are navigating will be related to the subject. We hope that this interaction between content providers and content consumers will allow the Internet's gay, and gay-friendly user bases to work in greater concert and to strengthen their connections globally.

We will create a safe and secure TLD, and believe that this is the most important way to ensure that our users have positive experiences when using .gay.
iv.) Provide a complete description of the applicant's intended registration policies in support of the goals listed above.
Given that we recognize the expansiveness and diversity of would be relevant to a .gay TLD, we intend to offer .gay domains through ICANN-accredited registrars, using an open registration policy that requires no verification of any quantifiable measure of merit. Through targeted marketing efforts and niche pricing levels, we expect to see that a large majority of the domains registered will be by those with plans to develop sites related to gay cultures and lifestyles. In this way, we are insuring the .gay TLD will be open to all forms of individual expression, as well as to organizations and companies that identify with gay cultures, while still maintaining a strongly delineated space.

We will fully implement the requirements made by the ICANN Board with regards to the Trademark Clearinghouse, URS, Trademark PDDRP, RRDRP, and UDRP. We believe the these measures have been suitably developed to prevent defensive registrations, bad faith registrations, and other malicious registrations.

v.) Will your proposed gTLD impose any measures for protecting the privacy or confidential information of registrants or users? If so, please describe any such measures.

As per the current requirements in Section 4 of the Registry Agreement, we will implement all necessary thick WHOIS services. We recognize how imperative it is for each registry and ICANN-accredited registrar to be in full compliance with ICANN's current WHOIS standards, and we plan to update our policy in accordance with any future measures taken by the ICANN Board in regard to the continuous work by the GNSO's WHOIS Task Force and other recommendations from the SOs. We have no plans to implement any privacy or confidential measures other than fully implementing any and all such measures as required by ICANN.

i. How will multiple applications for a particular domain name be resolved, for example, by auction or on a first-come/first-serve basis?

About six months following the signing of the registry agreement, we will hold a standard Sunrise Period reserved for those entities with appropriate IP and Trademark claims, which we anticipate to last about 3 months. Then, after the conclusion of the Sunrise Period, we will hold a Landrush Period that will be open to the public, and which will last a few weeks to a month. At the conclusion of each period we will hold closed auctions for the domains that have been applied for by more than one party. We anticipate separating the end of the Sunrise from the beginning of the Landrush by a few weeks.

For general availability of the .gay TLD following the sunrise and landrush periods, we will be operating on a first-come, first-served basis. However, we reserve the right to create a list of domain names within our .gay TLD to be set aside and then sold or auctioned off to interested parties. Conversely, when identifying these premium names we plan to set aside culturally sensitive names that threaten the proud, celebratory nature of a .gay TLD. We are open to the possibility of creating this list alongside other members of the ICANN community and those involved in gay advocacy. Names on this second list could be auctioned off to parties that agree to particular content-development terms, or permanently reserved.

We have included auction related revenue in the first year of operations of our financial projections.

ii.) Explain any cost benefits for registrants you intend to implement (e.g. advantageous pricing, introductory discounts, bulk registration discounts).

We have no plans to implement any cost benefits for registrants at this time. However, we have discussed the possibility of promotions, such as bulk registration discounts and advantageous pricings, should they be necessitated due to currently unforeseen circumstances or become part of a targeted marketing campaign during any part of our launch.

iii.) Note that the Registry Agreement requires that registrars be offered the option to obtain initial domain name registrations for periods of one to ten years at the discretion of the registrar, but no greater than ten years. Additionally, the Registry Agreement requires advance written notice of price increases. Do you intend to make contractual commitments to registrants regarding the magnitude of price escalation? If so, please describe your plans.

We intend to fully comply with the provisions in the Registry Agreement stating that registration being made available by our registrars for a period of one to ten years, while not exceeding ten years.

Wholesale price increases may be necessary due to inflation or other unforeseen circumstances. However, we recognize that it is important to protect registrants from unreasonable price increases, and therefore plan not to exceed the industry-precedented reasonable maximum annual wholesale price increase of 10%. As dictated by the Registry Agreement, we plan to provide ICANN and ICANN-accredited registrars 30 days written notice for price increases on initial domain name registrations, and 180 days for domain name renewals, excepting the provisions stated in Article 2, Section 10(b) and (c), which we shall follow as they are described. We plan to give written notice of at least 90 days to our registrants of such increases. We have no plans at this time to make further contractual commitments to our registrants regarding wholesale price escalation, but do intend to follow the best practices set forth by the industry and treat our registrants with respect, both financially and otherwise. We do not anticipate the need for significant price increases and are equally likely to lower the price in the future.

We plan to work with the GAC to protect their interests in country codes, country names, and major cities at the second level via a reserve list, as per the ʺGAC Principles Regarding New gTLDs" document of March 28, 2007, and per any forthcoming mandates from the GAC as approved by the ICANN Board. Pursuant to the specification provided in ICANNʹs Applicant Guidebook, the list will include country and territory names based on the following internationally recognized lists:

• the short form (in English) of all country and territory names contained on the ISO 3166-1 list;
• the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names, Technical Reference Manual for the Standardization of Geographical Names, Part III Names of Countries of the World; and
• the list of United Nations member states in 6 official United Nations languages prepared by the Working Group on Country Names of the United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names;

As the above documents get updated from time to time, the exact list of reserved names will be compiled shortly before the TLD launch to account for any updates. The list of reserved names will be published on the Registry website. We recognize that we may need future permission from the GAC, its members, and the ICANN Board to use certain names.

Given the precedent of the .info TLD as described in the document "GAC Chair circular letter on Reservation of Country Names in Dot Info, ICANN Board Resolutions of 10 September 2001 and 14 March 2002" from September 9, 2003, we will protect/reserve the above described names for a suitable amount of time following the launch of the TLD, during which time we will encourage governments to register their country-specific domains. We look forward to working with all GAC representatives in order to ensure that their representation under the .gay TLD is suitable to their wants and needs. Domains that are not permanently reserved or registered will be made available to the general public after securing any necessary permissions.

For ongoing operation, we will implement procedures that allow governments, public authorities, or IGOs to challenge potential abuses of names with national or geographic significance at the second level or other levels. Such procedures may include the blocking of offending domains in a system similar to URS. We intend to respect standard, ICANN-approved arbitration practices that consider both the registrant and the objecting government's rights and concerns.