Queerpreneurs: Trailblazing LGBTQ+ Leaders in Business
We’re Queer, We’re Here! The LGBTQIA+ community has always been here. However, they’ve just recently shown the courage to be loud and proud about their identities. Society has stigmatized being queer and gotten so comfortable in the hetero-normative idea of people that to this day, people from the LGBTQIA+ community are struggling for basic human rights.
Shame on you society!
For those who are living under a rock and feel baffled by this collision of alphabets, LGBTQIA+ stands for “lesbian”, “gay”, “bisexuals”, “transgender”, “queer”, “intersex”, “asexual” and “+” portrays other forms of genders and sexualities. As much as it would bring me joy to share the history of the LGBTQIA+ community, we’ll be focusing on a different aspect of this community altogether.
While the wrangle for basic human rights continues for this community across the globe, they have also managed to establish numerous businesses. This portrays the amount of talent and business brains this faction holds. However, we as a society have failed to identify and give them their due credit due to our incompetency as fellow humans.
Amongst this chunk, some also happen to identify as entrepreneurs and business venturers. These members of the LGBTQIA+ community were able to accomplish the mighty task of building a business and taking it to cloud high levels. There are various up-and-coming businesses.
Even though history is tainted by idiocracy, it is not too late to do our part in supporting these small-scale businesses whose owners and CEOs recognize themselves differently regarding their sexuality.
Tilt
Tilt is a small business specializing in gynecologist-recommended underwear made to lower the risk of infections, created by Shaivya Ramani and co-founded by Raj. These underwear, made from fibers derived from nature, have a 3X absorption rate and efficiently handle perspiration, urine, discharge, and other bodily fluids while removing post-toilet dampness. Ramani, a proud bisexual woman, recognizes the early difficulties she had while trying to secure finance because of prejudices towards female-led enterprises that deal with personal items.
However, she has come to fully accept her individuality and is quite proud of the original works coming out of Tilt. Visit their website and Instagram page to learn more about their size range and skin-friendly underwear. The creator accurately explained the concept of Tilt as symbolizing the natural inclination of the vagina and breasts.
Pumkinfish
Pumkinfish is a store full of odd wonders that are situated in the center of downtown Indianapolis. It is also queer-owned. This is the area for you if you’re the kind of individual who adores trinkets. It boasts a diverse selection of one-of-a-kind items from throughout the globe, including raunchy potholders, cocktail mixers, bath soaps, and cat wine (yep, it’s for your cats).
Origami Customs
Owner Rae launched Origami Customs as a brand of personalized swimwear to empower the members of the LGBTQ+ community to feel confident in their skin. This business provides free custom sizing for everyone since it recognizes the distinctive nature of transgender bodies. One percent of annual sales and $500 in tips are contributed to several nonprofits, including Unist’ot’en Camp, AIDS Community Care Montreal, the Center for Indigenous Environmental Resources, and the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, to give back to the community.
A Tribe Called Queer
Sabine Maxine Lopez is an LA-based queer femme of color and the creator of “A Tribe Called Queer”. This store features a ton of gay and Black pride items that are reasonably priced, stylish, and make a statement with expressions such as “Femmes Can Be Thems” or “Women of Color Are the Backbone of America.” There will undoubtedly be something for you among the shirts, pins, beanies, bucket hats, phone covers, and other products available.
A portion of the sales from a number of its products will be donated to charities like Black Lives Matter and Emergency Release Fund, which works to make sure that members of New York City’s transgender community can post bail when they are arrested so that no one is kept in detention awaiting trial.
Needles & Monkey
Letitia Mendes, a graphic designer and tattoo artist, teamed up with their friends Ali and Kaushik to open Needle Monkey, a distinctive tattoo and piercing business in Malad, Mumbai. They wanted to create a place where people could freely express themselves via tattoos and body piercings in a secure and judgment-free environment. Their workshop not only offers creative services but also helps gifted artists by giving them room to work without any constraints since they feel that tattoos are a representation of one’s spirit. As a non-binary individual in business, Letitia emphasizes having empowering supporters as business partners that accept and value them for who they are as people rather than focusing on their gender or sexual orientation.
Bokksu
When he couldn’t get his preferred regional Japanese snacks in the United States, Danny Taing, founder and CEO of Bokksu, established his firm. Bokksu collaborates with centuries-old snack-makers around Japan. “As an Asian-American with deep roots in both identities, I saw a big opportunity to bridge both Asian and American cultures and share Japanese culture with the world,” he says.
Taing, an Asian homosexual guy, claims that managing his business “sometimes feels very daunting because many investors and partners don’t immediately relate to Bokksu and me.” Nevertheless, he also says, “Being gay has also helped me find tightly-knit peers and support,” and over time, he’s developed bonds with many people and built a network of company owners with similar backgrounds.
Souk Bohemian
The Souk Bohemian brand was founded in 2016 by Vanessa Vernon and Morgan-Ashley Bryant after they traveled to Morocco and were inspired by the rich culture, artwork, and artists they encountered in the country’s markets, or souks. This Atlanta-based business is designed with and for women of color in mind. Bryant adds, “There aren’t many people who look like us who own businesses and are able to have this kind of platform, so we take that very seriously because we understand that we’re telling them, ‘You can absolutely do something like this, there are other people in these spaces.'” In the end, it’s all about seeing Black people, particularly women, and members of the queer community, connect with the goods in the shop.
Unisex jumpsuits from the enterprise, which are among their best-selling goods, feature the faces of Black and Brown people, especially Black women. Bryant says, “We’re extremely careful about it because a lot of the time, you don’t see us, whether that’s on a T-shirt or the cloth that’s created, the features never seem like us. Along with a wide selection of home products including candle holders, crockery, and décor, Souk Bohemian also sells a variety of apparel options like coats, purses, and dresses.
Byoma
Marc Elrick, the founder and CEO of Future Beauty Labs, which owns dermatological companies like Tan Luxe, Tanologist, and Isle of Paradise, contends he got his start in the cosmetics industry to support diversity and celebrate uniqueness. “Beauty and how it makes you feel should be the most inclusive and supportive community,” Elrick states. “Gay culture and the beauty industry have been intertwined for basically forever helping to define trends — [and] as a gay founder, I’m lucky to have the opportunity to drive that inclusivity even further, and give credit where credit is due.”
Elrick developed many cosmetic companies, including Byoma, a skincare line that provides a variety of products focused on restoring the skin’s moisture barrier, including serums, moisturizers, toners, cleansers, and more. According to Byoma, the Creamy Jelly Cleanser’s light, creamy recipe combines ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids with antioxidant-rich licorice root and green tea extracts to boost the skin’s appearance.
Couplet Coffee
Couplet Coffee is a business founded by a first-generation immigrant, lesbian, and ardent coffee enthusiast, Gefen Skolnick who challenges the notion that specialty coffee is only appropriate for a select few people. You may get bags of their specialty mix, espressos, and single-origin beans online. They are sustainably harvested and mindfully processed. There are no ostentatious tasting notes or gatekeeping by coffee snobs present; simply a beautifully smooth cup. You may also purchase a cow-themed “Mooka” pot and “Lovers” French press on the website if you already have the beans but lack the necessary equipment.
You can buy 12-ounce or five-pound bags on their own to save money or subscribe to save 5%. Choose from one of their well-liked mixes, such as their single-origin Peaceful Peru, and then choose how frequently you want it delivered (weekly or up to every four weeks). Allow your coffee to come to you while also taking pleasure in the “maximalist”-designed bag (it’s holographic!).
Babeland
The most “scandalous” was reserved until last. You’ve heard of Babeland, and you (likely) adore it. I was overjoyed to learn this, albeit I wasn’t all that astonished. If you’re unfamiliar with Babeland, it’s a well-known online retailer of sex toys. In 1993, when Claire Cavanah and Rachel Venning discovered that Seattle lacked any women-friendly sex stores, the first storefront opened. They were dedicated to providing advice and support to women who wished to explore their sexuality, and they currently operate three more stores in NYC.
These business ventures are as remarkable as they sound. The stories of these business owners have one thing in common. They have not only crossed the hurdle of initiating a business, but they have also tackled the rudimentary actions affecting their lives as members of the LGBTQIA+ community and even as people of color in some of these cases. The least the financial industry can do to support their fellow entrepreneurs is invest in the businesses and help them kick ahead their revenues. Someday, these might also become global leviathans and combat major rivals in their respective markets. The future of all businesses is a rainbow!
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