Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

PhillyGayCalendar.com (“PGC,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a Philadelphia-based LGBT+ community events website that has served the greater Philadelphia area since 2005. We publish event listings, editorial content, a business directory, and community resources at phillygaycalendar.com.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and what choices you have. It applies to all visitors and users of our website, email communications, and social media channels.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information in two ways: information you provide directly, and information collected automatically when you use our site.

Information you provide:

• Event submissions — event title, description, dates, times, venue, organizer name, contact email, and any uploaded images
• Email newsletter sign-up — email address and, optionally, first name
• Contact forms & emails — name, email address, and the content of your message
• Directory listings — business name, description, address, phone, website URL, category, and any submitted images
• Advertising inquiries — name, email, business name, and campaign details
• Account registration — if you create a WordPress account to submit events, we store your username, email, and display name

Information collected automatically:

• Device & browser data — IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device type, screen resolution, and language preference
• Usage data — pages viewed, time on page, referral source, click paths, and search queries used on our site
• Cookies & similar technologies — see Section 4 below for details
• Location data — approximate geographic location derived from your IP address (city/region level only; we do not collect precise GPS coordinates)

3. How We Use Your Information

We use collected information for the following purposes:

• Operate the site — display event listings, publish blog content, and maintain the business directory
• Communicate with you — respond to inquiries, send email newsletters you opted into, and deliver event submission confirmations
• Improve the site — analyze traffic patterns and usage trends via Google Analytics to improve navigation, content, and performance
• Deliver advertising — display relevant ads on our site and measure their effectiveness
• Prevent abuse — detect spam, fraudulent event submissions, and unauthorized access
• Comply with legal obligations — respond to lawful requests and enforce our terms

4. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to make the site work, remember your preferences, and understand how people use our pages. Here’s what’s running:

Managing cookies: You can control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers let you block or delete cookies. Note that disabling essential cookies may prevent parts of the site from functioning properly. You can also opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on.

5. Sharing & Third Parties

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We share data only in these limited circumstances:

• Service providers — We use third-party services to operate the site (hosting via GoDaddy, analytics via Google, email delivery, CDN via Cloudflare). These providers access data only to perform services on our behalf and are contractually obligated to protect it.
• Public event data — Event listings you submit are published publicly on our website. This is the intended purpose of submission.
• Legal requirements — We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or government request, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.
• Business transfer — If PGC is acquired, merged, or substantially all of its assets are transferred, user information may be part of that transaction. We will notify users via email or prominent site notice before any such transfer.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal information only as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy:

• Event submissions — retained indefinitely as part of the public archive (events are community history)
• Email subscriber data — retained until you unsubscribe or request deletion
• Contact form messages — retained for up to 2 years, then deleted
• Analytics data — Google Analytics data is retained for 14 months per Google’s default GA4 retention policy
• Server logs — retained for up to 90 days for security purposes
• WordPress accounts — retained until you request deletion

You can request deletion of your personal data at any time by contacting us (see Section 14).

7. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have some or all of the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Correction — request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Deletion — request that we delete your personal data, subject to certain legal exceptions
• Opt-out of marketing — unsubscribe from emails at any time using the link in every email, or contact us directly
• Data portability — request your data in a structured, commonly used format
• Withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time

To exercise any of these rights, email us at [email protected] with the subject line “Privacy Request.” We will respond within 30 days.

8. California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), provides you with additional rights:

• Right to know — you may request the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you in the past 12 months
• Right to delete — you may request deletion of your personal information, with certain exceptions
• Right to opt out of sale/sharing — we do not sell or share (as defined by the CCPA) your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising
• Right to non-discrimination — we will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA rights
• Right to correct — you may request correction of inaccurate personal information
• Right to limit use of sensitive personal information — we do not collect categories of data classified as “sensitive” under the CPRA

Categories of information collected in the past 12 months:

To make a CCPA request, email [email protected] with the subject line “CCPA Request.” We will verify your identity before processing the request and respond within 45 days.

9. International Visitors

PhillyGayCalendar.com is operated from the United States. If you visit from outside the U.S., please be aware that your information will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your country. By using our site, you consent to this transfer.

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or United Kingdom, our legal basis for processing your personal data is legitimate interest (operating and improving a community events website) and, where applicable, your consent (e.g., newsletter sign-up).

10. Children’s Privacy

Our site is not directed at children under the age of 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 16, we will delete it promptly. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately.

11. Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your personal information, including:

• SSL/TLS encryption (HTTPS) on all pages
• Cloudflare DDoS protection and web application firewall
• Regular software updates and security patches
• Restricted administrative access with strong authentication

No method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. Third-Party Links

Our site contains links to third-party websites, including event ticket pages, social media platforms, and businesses in our directory. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those external sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of every site you visit.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page. For significant changes, we may also notify you by email or via a prominent notice on our website.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of the site after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

14. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, want to exercise your rights, or need to report a concern, reach out: