6 Organizations Supporting the LGBTQIA2+ Community
Happy Pride to our community!
In celebration of Pride Month, we wanted to acknowledge some of Vancouver’s local businesses and initiatives that have made significant impacts on the LGBTQIA2+ community and beyond.
The accomplishments and needs of those in the LGBTQIA2+ community have not always been recognized; therefore, as June is in full swing, we felt it important to amplify the significant achievements in our local LGBTQIA2+ community through entrepreneurship and social impact, as well as resources you can tap into to further your own entrepreneurial knowledge!
Meet some of the entrepreneurs and businesses across Vancouver’s ecosystem making an impact:
Big Bro Barber Shop
Big Bro’s Barbershop is Vancouver’s beauty and resource centre for the trans community and beyond. All types of folks are welcome!
Big Bro’s Barbershop is a space where trans, butch, and non-binary people can receive haircut services, buy gender-affirming products, receive peer-to-peer referrals to trans-friendly businesses, and access valuable resources such as trans health information.
Jessie Anderson, a bisexual, femme-identified transgender man, opened Big Bro Barber Shop on September 1st, 2015 through community crowdfunding. He promised to create a space dedicated to the trans community. Since opening, Big Bro Barber Shop has supported a number of projects, fundraisers, and independent contractors by making financial contributions to the Trans March, conducting trans health surveys and more. It is not only providing a physical location where trans individuals can find a welcoming community but also encouraging trans people to profit from creating their own work.
This invaluable work has been recognized by Small Business BC as Anderson won the Best Emerging Entrepreneur award in 2016. Being one of the 10 SBBC Award winners selected from a pool of 535 provincial nominations is no small feat and speaks volumes about the impact Big Bro Barber Shop has had on the wider community.
At the heart of the business, Big Bro Barber Shop is about people and community building.
Jessie Anderson, the founder, sums up business well by stating "It's not like I am literally the only hairdresser in town. These people need to see another trans person in existence, someone they can talk their feelings out with." Read the rest of the interview here.
The Rainbow Store
When Jude Goodwin created What’s on Queer BC, an online magazine and events calendar listing queer news and events happening in the BC Lower Mainland for the LGBTQIA2+ community, she wanted to create an online Rainbow Store to celebrate the community and feature other local businesses rainbow products! Their mission is to strengthen, inspire and entertain the LGBTQ+ Community of BC.
The Rainbow Store offers everything rainbow from rainbow masks to rainbow pants, you name it! Many of the products sold are Amazon affiliate items so purchases will support What’s on Queer BC and keep it running! They are proud supporters of other LGBTQ+ businesses and if you have a store that sells any rainbow products, they’d love to connect! With a vast network of businesses and organizations, the Rainbow Store is full of opportunities.
Peau de Loup
Founded by Vancouverites Adelle Renaud and Erinn McLeod, Peau De Loup’s mission is to redefine feminine etiquette in women’s clothing. Growing up as tomboys, the founders realized their tomboy styles weren’t well reflected in retail. When they began researching, they realized many women would buy menswear that had the look they wanted but did not fit right, and therefore, the vision for Peau De Loup was born. Three values make up their brand—they are cheeky in the way they connect, classic in the product they offer, and strong in the message they are trying to send. Peau de Loup says, “To us this is something much more than a button-down. It's about creating something authentic that makes people feel the same way on the outside as they do on the inside.”
Since then, they have expanded towards androgynous-style clothing designed for individuals with curves regardless of gender identity. While they specialize in button-downs, their impact goes beyond the quality of their shirts. Peau De Loup is driving innovation in the fashion industry by making use of leftover fabric. It discovered that manufacturers are required to overproduce fabrics and oftentimes these end up unused. Since Peau De Loup makes use of this upcycled fabric, it has limited quantities of each fabric and once its shirts have been sold, they will not be restocked! With this unique approach, Peau De Loup is taking major steps in reducing waste through its supply chain. Not only is it advocating for self-expression, but also sustainability as well—it is definitely a game-changer within the fashion industry!
Resources to Explore
Loud Business
Loud Business in Vancouver unites the LGBTQIA2+ business community to be stronger and louder together. LOUD stands for Leadership, Opportunity, Unity & Diversity as it features events for the community, showcases LGBTQ+ businesses, and supports community leaders through scholarships! It values a sense of community, since it is an association of businesses that supports the LGBTQ+ community and strives to be the go-to organization for LGBTQ+ consumers looking for products and services. Over the years, they have promoted self-growth as they provided entrepreneurs and professionals within the LGBTQ+ community with opportunities to network, learn, and grow.
Its Loud Foundation Scholarships invest in future leaders of the Canadian LGBTQ+ community. To be eligible, you must be enrolled and about to begin studies, currently studying, or have completed your program in the last 12 months in a recognized, Canadian post-secondary education institution. In 2020 they granted scholarships of $2500 each to 20 students, which is their biggest investment in LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs to date!
Learn more about the scholarship here
CGLCC
Canada’s LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce (CGLCC) is a chamber of commerce uniting and advocating for the over 28,000 LGBT+ owned and operated businesses in Canada. The CGLCC aims to remove barriers for LGBT+ entrepreneurs as many have lost opportunities due to the way they identify. Forming a coalition of LGBT+ businesses and government liaisons that advocate for change, is transforming the Canadian business landscape into a more inclusive one. It does so by providing LGBTQ entrepreneurs and business owners with programs that teach them how to best run their businesses. Additionally, the CGLCC provides companies with training on how they can create an inclusive workspace to best support their LGBTQ+ employees.
By providing certifications, CGLCC’s programs are creating concrete changes that make the Canadian business sector more inclusive! The CGLCC’s Supplier Diversity Program certifies LGBTQ+ businesses and helps them network with corporations that want to increase their supplier diversity. This is a win-win situation as LGBTQ+ businesses can forge new partnerships, while Canadian corporations can diversify their supply chain. Additionally, CGLCC’s recently launched Rainbow Registered accreditation program allows customers and prospective employees to identify businesses that are LGBT+ friendly. In order to earn it, businesses must meet a rigid set of standards that focus on key areas such as policies and practices, training, commitment to inclusive leadership, and a culture of inclusivity. If your business would like to strengthen your ties to the LGBTQ+ community and would like to be a CGLCC member, learn more here!
Pride Collective UBC
The Pride Collective at UBC provides support to students, staff, and faculty at UBC by helping them connect to the LGBTQIA2+ community on campus, hosting events such as educational workshops and weekly general meetings. The Collective has a number of goals that aim to address the issues of the LGBTQIA2+ community while increasing its exposure—one of them being to represent the interests and meet the needs of sexual and gender dynamic individuals on campus in addition to those who seek to access our Resource Group. Another goal is to educate the university community (faculty, staff, and student body) and the general public on the needs, concerns and interest of sexual and gender dynamic communities. While some of their goals are campus-specific, they also seek to make our communities safer and more equitable.
The Pride Collective’s committees range from creating a safer space for the LGBTQIA2+ community to running a food hamper that fills the gaps left by food banks! They are well connected on campus and have partnered with the UBC student group Sprouts, a volunteer organization that makes healthy and sustainable food accessible; together, they have created a LGBTQIA2+ Sprouts event. If you’re looking to get involved, they are always looking for facilitators for their discussion groups, and members and coordinators for their committees!
The organizations we have featured are only a fraction of the amazing initiatives and companies in British Columbia that support the LGBTQIA2+ community.
By supporting these organizations, there is a direct impact on the goals and exposure of the community!
If you would like to learn more about how you can make your organization more LGBTQIA2+ inclusive, we encourage you to also check out these additional resources: An LGBT Best Practice Guide for Employers and Simple Ways you can Make Your Workplace More LGBTQ Inclusive.