Finding Love
Keeper of the little gay book... Dr. Frankie
Dr. Frankie Bashan is a leading lesbian matchmaker, LGBT relationship expert, clinical psychologist, and founder of the successful business, “Little Gay Book.” Dr. Frankie is the CEO and founder of Little Gay Book; a local, personalized, boutique matchmaking service. Her area of expertise is finding love for the single lesbians and bisexual women of our community. She is an insider in the lesbian community and understands the challenges in meeting high quality, professional, emotionally available women who are interested in a committed relationship. After speaking with Dr. Frankie, it is apparent that she offers much more than just a ‘dating service.’ The education and counseling she provides can be invaluable for a lifetime, not to mention the service is so personal, that she only takes on a handful of clients at a time in order to maintain the emotional connection necessary to assist each individual. What prompted your decision to get into the business of matchmaking? Naturally, I have been drawn to matchmaking since a young age. I matched my father and my step-mom (she was my eye doctor), when I was 14 years old and they have been happily married now for over 20 years. Why do you specialize in lesbian and bisexual women? I am a lesbian. Initially when I launched, I realized there was an unbelievable demand for a personal and confidential matchmaking service. Adding individuals who identify as bisexual came a few months after I opened the business, when I came to understand that there are many bisexual women seeking lesbians.
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Your services are concentrated in the Northern California area, but it looks like you are expanding? We specialize in clientele from Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay area and New York City. I have a colleague in the New York area who assists in the initial consultation process. There are plans in 2012 to expand and possibly include Portland and Seattle. What is your greatest success story? My most significant success was finding a very introverted client, a partner who shared the same quiet qualities. I am always up for a challenge and I am pleased to say that this couple has been together for over a year now. To know I had a hand in that is a beautiful experience. Where did the company name “Little Gay Book” come from? I hold the little black book of the gay community. I have searched far and wide to find the women who have profiles on my website. Have you ever personally used a matchmaking service? No, only because I met my partner at a soccer game when I was 25 years old. If I hadn’t, I would certainly use a personal matchmaking service to increase the probability of finding someone. What is the best advice you would give to all the single women who are looking for love? • I would encourage them to look at their list of must-have’s and deal breakers. Narrow that list down to just 3. No one person will embody all that you are looking for so try not to be unreasonable. • Take risks, put yourself out there and be open! • Go ahead, click to littlegaybook.com and fill out a profile, it is completely FREE! Increase your chances of finding someone, what have you got to lose?