LGBTQ-, or queer-owned businesses are businesses owned and often operated by members of the
LGBTQIA+
LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The group is ...
community. They may also be described as being owned by specific subgroups, such as gay-, lesbian-, or trans-owned businesses.
Many queer-owned businesses cater specifically to marginalized people by offering products that are not otherwise widely available. They are commonly more likely to have difficulty acquiring financial backing.
Some government institutions and municipalities have special programs to support minority-owned businesses and have started to include LGBTQ-owned businesses in such programs.
In 2022, Charlie Sprinkman created the website ''Everywhere Is Queer'' to help promote queer-owned businesses around the world.
Canada
Cape & Cowl is among LGBTQ-owned businesses in Canada.
Mexico
Paco Ruiz opened Club Paco Paco (later known as
Paco's Ranch) in
Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta ( or simply Vallarta) is a Mexican resort city near the Bahía de Banderas on the Pacific coast of the Mexico, Mexican state of Jalisco. Puerto Vallarta is the second largest urban agglomeration in the state after the Guadalajara ...
,
Jalisco
Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...
, in December 1989. According to Ed Walsh of ''
SFGate'', "At the time, Jalisco didn't have formal laws against homosexuality. But police and regulators often targeted gay-owned businesses for shakedowns because, without political connections or meaningful support in the broader local community, they were vulnerable."
United States
According to the
U.S. Chamber of Commerce, there are approximately 1.4 million LGBT-owned businesses as of 2024. The
National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), a nonprofit organization that serves as a certifying body for Certified LGBT Business Enterprises (LGBTBEs), says LGBTQ+ owned businesses are at least 51 percent "owned, operated, managed and controlled by a person or persons who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community (including non-binary and gender non-conforming individuals)". New Jersey is the first state to have an official certification process. In addition to the certification, the US government
Small Business Administration
The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent agency of the United States government that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses. The mission of the Small Business Administration is "to maintain and str ...
has a program to promote LGBTQ-owned businesses.
The Greater Seattle Business Association, described as "a business chamber for LGBTQ and allied businesses", was established by nine gay business owners in 1981. In 2021,
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
recognized LGBTQ-owned businesses as part of their program to support and promote
minority-owned businesses to provide mentorship, consulting and access to government contracts that promote minority owned businesses.
In an interview with
''Axios'', the
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
Chamber of Commerce executive director, Grace Moreno highlighted that there is a high demand for inclusion in the community and that "young people in particular are more willing to go out of their way to support LGBTQ-owned stores, bars, restaurants and other businesses."
In 2023, a community group celebrated the first annual ' to "support queer-owned businesses while simultaneously raising awareness around economic issues for the community." In 2024, it will be celebrated the week of December 2.
List of notable LGBTQ-owned businesses in the United States
*
3 Dollar Bill, New York City
*
Amazon Bookstore Cooperative
Amazon Bookstore Cooperative was a feminist bookstore located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, that operated from 1970 to 2012. It was the only lesbian/feminist bookstore in the U.S.at some point, but certainly not at its beginning. The shop was named ...
, Minneapolis, Minnesota
*
Babeland
Babeland, until 2005 known as Toys in Babeland, is a sex toy boutique offering erotic toys, books and pornographic films. LGBTQ-owned Babeland has an online store and four retail stores (in Seattle, Brooklyn, and two in Manhattan).
History
Cl ...
, Seattle
*
Babes of Carytown, Richmond, Virginia
*
Badlands Portland
Badlands Portland, or simply Badlands, is a gay bar in Portland, Oregon. Established in 2024, the bar operates in the space that previously occupied Embers Avenue (1969–2017), in Old Town Chinatown.
Description
The gay bar Badlands Portland ...
, Portland, Oregon
*
Big Little News, Seattle
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Blush & Blu, Denver, Colorado
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Cheese & Crack Snack Shop
Cheese & Crack Snack Shop is a restaurant in Portland, Oregon, United States. The business started as a food cart on Hawthorne Boulevard (Portland, Oregon), Hawthorne Boulevard before moving into a brick and mortar shop in the Southeast Portla ...
, Portland, Oregon
*
Chelo, Portland, Oregon
*
Cone & Steiner
Cone & Steiner is a grocery store with multiple locations in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. In 2014, co-owners Dani Cone and Josh Henderson opened a first store on Capitol Hill and a second in Pioneer Square. A third location opened ...
, Seattle
*
Coping Cookies
Coping Cookies was a bakery and dessert shop on Seattle's Capitol Hill, in the U.S. state of Washington.
Description
Coping Cookies was a LGBTQ- and woman-owned bakery and dessert shop on 12th Avenue on Seattle's Capitol Hill. The business donat ...
, Seattle
*
Cupcake Royale
Cupcake Royale is a chain of cupcake shops based in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. Established in 2003, the business has operated in the city's Ballard, Madrona, and West Seattle neighborhoods, and on Capitol Hill.
Description
B ...
, Seattle
*
Diesel
Diesel may refer to:
* Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression
* Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines
* Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine ...
, Seattle
*
Dough Joy
Dough Joy is a small chain of doughnut shops in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. The queer-owned business, which specializes in vegan doughnuts, was established by Christopher Ballard and Sean Willis. Dough Joy initially operated from a f ...
, Seattle
*
Either/Or, Portland, Oregon
*
Fat's Chicken and Waffles, Seattle
*
Frelard Tamales, Seattle
*
Friendship Kitchen, Portland, Oregon
*
Fulcrum Coffee, Seattle
*
Glo's, Seattle
*
Jade Rabbit
The Moon rabbit, Moon hare or Jade rabbit is a mythical figure in both East Asian and indigenous American folklore, based on interpretations that identify the dark markings on the near side of the Moon as a rabbit or hare. In East Asian mythol ...
, Portland, Oregon
*
Julia's on Broadway, Seattle
*
Koko's
* ''
Lesbian Connection'', East Lansing, Michigan
*
Lil' Deb's Oasis, Hudson New York
*
Lipstick Lounge, Nashville, Tennessee
*
Lumber Yard Bar, White Center, Washington
*
Madison Pub, Seattle
*
Meals 4 Heels, Portland, Oregon
*
Mis Tacones, Portland, Oregon
*
My Sister's Room, Atlanta, Georgia
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Pearl Bar, Houston, Texas
*
Pony
A pony is a type of small horse, usually measured under a specified height at maturity. Ponies often have thicker coats, manes and tails, compared to larger horses, and proportionally shorter legs, wider barrels, heavier , thicker necks and s ...
, Seattle
*
Poquitos, Washington
*
The Q
Q, or q, is the seventeenth letter of the English alphabet.
Q may also refer to:
People
* Q, pseudonym of Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, the Cornish writer
* Q, pseudonym used by the originator of QAnon, an American far-right conspiracy theory
* Q ...
, New York City
*
Queer Bar, Seattle
*
R+M Dessert Bar, Seattle
*
Rhein Haus Seattle, Seattle
*
The Saloon
The Saloon, located at 1232 Grant Avenue in North Beach, San Francisco, North Beach, is one of the oldest operational taverns in San Francisco.
History
The Saloon first opened in 1861, and was originally owned by Ferdinand E. Wagner. Wagner ...
Minneapolis, Minnesota
*
Santé Bar
Santé Bar is an LGBTQ-friendly bar in Portland, Oregon.
Description
Santé Bar is an LGBTQ-friendly bar along the North Park Blocks in Northwest Portland, Oregon, northwest Portland's Pearl District. The business is owned by Veronique Lafont, a ...
, Portland, Oregon
*
Seattle Eagle, Seattle
*
Sharpe Suiting, Los Angeles
*
Shikorina, Seattle
*
The Sports Bra, Portland, Oregon
*
Stag PDX
Stag PDX, or simply Stag, is a gay-owned nightclub and strip club in Portland, Oregon's Pearl District, in the United States. The club opened in May 2015 as the second all-nude gay strip club on the West Coast.
Description
The gay-owned bar ...
, Portland, Oregon
*
Taqueria Los Puñales, Portland, Oregon
*
Temple Pastries, Seattle
*
Terra Plata, Seattle
*
Tin Shed Garden Cafe, Portland, Oregon
*
Tin Table, Seattle
*
Twin Peaks Tavern, San Francisco
*
Union Seattle, Seattle
*
The Wildrose, Seattle
See also
*
StartOut, a startup supporting LGBTQ entrepreneurs
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
Everywhere Is Queer a worldwide map of queer owned businesses
OutCare a directory of queer friendly health care
{{LGBTQ, culture
Business terms
Business models
Corporate social responsibility
Entrepreneurship