While marketing their businesses as gay-owned was once an effective marketing tactic for LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs, rising discrimination has led some to remove references to queerness from their branding materials.Fred Lum/the Globe and Mail
Rob Csernyik is a contributing columnist for The Globe and Mail.
When I owned a retail store about 10 years ago, I didn’t put a Pride flag on the door. The omission wasn’t intentional. Marketing my business as gay-owned was one of countless good ideas lost in the mad shuffle of entrepreneurship.
It might have been a savvy promotional tool, drawing LGBTQ+ and ally customers to my ailing shop. But it was a different time. North American LGBTQ+ rights felt like they were on the upswing then. Presently that’s not the case.
Though a recent Ipsos Pride report poll found Canadian support for LGBTQ+ rights was rising compared with other countries, it was climbing back from a significant decline in last year’s report. The news is full of debates over rollbacks of sexual and gender-minority rights across North America and the world. In corporate circles, the gutting of diversity, equity and inclusion policies at major companies and the axing of Pride sponsorships dampened what had become a celebratory mood each June.
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The question of how being out, proud and showing support for the community can benefit a business has been replaced with another. Now businesses are asking how much harm such promotions will do, or if they’re worth doing at all. I’ve noticed that one group’s voice is consistently missing from larger discussions on this topic: the estimated 100,000 LGBTQ+ small-business owners across Canada.
Recently, with the help of Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce (CGLCC) I e-mailed a brief survey to a list of Canadian LGBTQ+ business owners. I wanted to know, in particular, if and how the current anti-LGBTQ+ climate was affecting their bottom lines. Going in, I thought (or, more fittingly, hoped) these small businesses might be spared trouble. The results from 13 business owners, though anecdotal, paint a grim picture.
Of the respondents, nine said the current wave of anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment has been affecting their businesses. The same number also said they believe such sentiments will financially affect their businesses in the future.
In answer to a question about how the Canadian economy would perform in the 12 months ahead, spirits weren’t much higher. Four respondents were “somewhat positive,” and the other nine felt neutral or negative.
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Like other Canadian entrepreneurs, many LGBTQ+ business owners outlasted the pandemic only to struggle in its wake with a cost-of-living crisis and, in recent months, rapid tariff changes spurred by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Eight respondents said they were “very affected” or “somewhat affected” by recent changes to international tariffs. It seems especially cruel that already-marginalized queer and trans business owners are now affected financially by anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments on top of everything else.
One respondent described gradually removing references to being queer-owned from marketing materials after receiving threats and derogatory comments online, and even having trans flags taken from their lobby and destroyed.
Another said it feels harder these days to tell people they are a registered LGBTQ+ supplier, a program organized by the CGLCC. One participant who identifies as queer and transgender said they don’t feel safe or comfortable being open about their identity.
What’s at stake, aside from the health of these entrepreneurs and their companies, is the notion of a vibrant ecosystem of queer and trans businesses, providing a way to help LGBTQ+ people build wealth, achieve social mobility and grow economic, political and social capital for the community at large.
Supporting these businesses as clients is a simple way of helping them stave off the worst troubles of this era. Yet it seems an inadequate solution to the hateful rhetoric.
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When members of the public hear politicians and other public figures or celebrities punching down, they feel license to do so too. Politicians have a particular interest in tamping this down – after all, they support small-business owners, job creation and the notion of their constituents being able to build a Canadian dream, no matter their background.
My little survey is just one picture of what it looks like for a group of LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs. But there are tens of thousands of stories out there. It’s time for us all – including the government, funding agencies and non-profits which support entrepreneurs – to start asking them more questions to learn how best to assist them in this challenging time.
Unsurprisingly, there was an undercurrent of resilience in many responses. Some respondents made a special point of mentioning the cyclical nature of public sentiment. They expressed hope that the climate will shift in the community’s favour. Maybe next Pride they’ll be closer to enjoying the same opportunities other entrepreneurs have to build their businesses, contribute to the economy and be themselves in relative peace.