The Balance Sheet

You're invited to LGBTQ+ Business Week (Nov 27-Dec 3)! (The Balance Sheet: November 2, 2023)

Join us for LGBTQ+ Business Week, a 7-day celebration of small queer-owned businesses + your weekly recap of the best LGBTQ+ business news.

Leo Aquino

— 9 min read
You're invited to LGBTQ+ Business Week (Nov 27-Dec 3)! (The Balance Sheet: November 2, 2023)
Join us for virtual events and networking on November 27-December 3 at LGBTQ+ Business Week!

We have officially entered holiday season, Queerency fam!

Before diving into your weekly dose of the best LGBTQ+ business news of the week, Trav and I want to invite you to the annual LGBTQ+ Business Week, a 7-day virtual celebration of queer-owned small businesses. From November 27-December 3, there will be panel discussions and virtual meetups with LGBTQ-owned businesses from all over the globe.

Check out the 140+ businesses that have already signed up, and submit yours to our database of #BuyProud Businesses. Interested in sponsorship or other collaboration opportunities? Email connect@lgbtqbusinessweek.com.

Finally, if you find value in our work, we would really appreciate your financial support to sustain and grow Queerency. This is a labor of love, with labor being a keyword. Please help us grow by becoming a supporter or making a one-time donation.

SUPPORT OUR WORK

Enjoy this week's roundup of LGBTQ+ business news!

Until next week,

Your editor-in-chief, Leo đź’ś

Top Line

Stories With Main Character Energy

City of Orlando buys Pulse nightclub property to build memorial to massacre victims killed 7 years ago

City leaders agreed to buy the property for $2 million to build a memorial for the 49 people killed and 53 people wounded at the Pulse nightclub shooting 7 years ago.

Orlando is a LGBTQ haven in a red state like Florida, which has introduced and passed some of the most dangerous anti-LGBTQ and anti-trans legislation in the country. The city's decision to build a memorial for Pulse nightclub victims is a huge win for Orlando LGBTQ residents.

Read the full article by the Associated Press.

This queer Puerto Rican antiques dealer is making thrifting more inclusive

There's a serious lack of diversity in the thrifting and antiquing community, and Jeremie Serrano (he/him/Ă©l) is on a mission to change that.

Jeremie already had a successful art and vegan recipes brand called La Comida de Jeremie, but he decided to expand to source and sell antiques inspired by his Puerto Rican heritage.

Read the full article by Queerency.

Bud Light parent company pays $1 billion to shareholders after fallout from Dylan Mulvaney influencer campaign, continues to cave to right-wing backlash

Early in April, Bud Light hired transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney to promote their products in celebration of her one year anniversary of gender transition, which sparked backlash among the brand's conservative followers.

Bud Light sales are down 13.5%, and the owner of Budweiser and Corona will be putting up $1 billion of his own cash for a share buyback, which puts money in investors' pockets by buying their shares, to gain shareholders' trust.

Read the full articles by Forbes and Telegraph.

Gay hotelier developed a resort in the 1950s called The Seahorse Inn, which opened its doors to LGBTQ guests

The Dallas Voice recently published a deep-dive into the history of The Seahorse Inn, a beach resort in the Texas Gulf Coast founded by Jack Coffman Cobb back in the 1950s.

The avant-garde hotel featured one of the area's first swimming pools, and featured wild and flamboyant parties. The story takes a grim turn when Cobb's life partner, Michael Robert, was murdered at the resort in 1996.

Read the full story by Dallas Voice. There is also an audio version of the article on their site for accessibility.

How queer and trans BIPOC can advocate for themselves in a broken system


Writer, activist, and speaker Bhavik R. Shah wrote a guide that shows queer, trans and BIPOC folx how to advocate for themselves in corporate settings.

Tips include:

  • finding values-aligned mentors who will encourage and strategize with you to break patterns of overworking and "paying your dues"
  • Joining or starting an employee resource group (ERG)
  • Invest in yourself and build a strong network

Read the full article at Fast Company.

Equity

Queer-Owned and -Allied Businesses In the News

These Are the Hot Tips Queer Small Business Owners Swear By
“I’ve seen behind the curtain of businesses I thought were levels above us to discover everyone’s faking it.”
AutostraddleRiese
Edgewater business owner says he’s been constantly harassed for years, city won’t help
Leif Forre says he’s been constantly harassed at his Edgewater business for years, which has recently escalated, but the city won’t help.
ABC7 Chicago
Ottawa’s queer-owned, queer-friendly businesses spread kindness one sale at a time - Capital Current
Queer owned and queer friendly businesses across Ottawa are working to provide a safe space for all members of the community by promoting inclusivity and diversity through queer products, and creating exposure opportunities for local artists belonging to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
Capital CurrentSavannah Lawrence
Where have all the lesbian bars gone?
There are only three lesbian bars in the UK, and experts blame financial problems on why queer women have so few spaces of their own.
PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ newsEmily Chudy
New nonprofit QUEERSPACE connects LGBTQ+ youth with mentors | MinnPost
While the mentorship program is QUEERSPACE’s cornerstone, the LGBTQ+ youth meetups and parent support are also central to the organization’s mission.
MinnPostAndy Steiner

In partnership with Sonara.Ai

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All you have to do is upload your resume and it applies to hundreds of relevant job openings for you. This gives you your time back and allows you to be more selective about which interviews you take.

There’s a free trial to start using Sonara, and then it switches to a monthly subscription. But as a member of the Queerency community, you can save 20% off your first month using this link: bit.ly/46vDsNm

Assets

Good News in Queer Business, Politics, and More

LGBTQ History Month: Exploring 70 years of lesbian publications - Dallas Voice
From 1940s zines to modern glossy magazines DANA PICCOLI | News Is Out Editor NewsIsOut.com Since the 1940s, lesbians have created a vibrant history of publications. From the exploration of daily lesbian life to literary and feminist pursuits, to the modern age of glossy magazines, for over 70 y…
Dallas VoiceTammye

Latinx fortune-teller celebrates Dia de los Muertos by building a queer altar for themselves

Latinx Fortune-telling witch Fernie Salinas shares his story about building a queer altar for himself on Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a Mexican celebration that usually takes place between November 1-2 to reconnect with the Ancestors.

Read the full story on Cosmopolitan.

SFPD LGBTQ forum talks safe havens and hate crimes at meeting
An LGBTQ group that advises the San Francisco Police Department is seeking new members.
Bay Area Reporter
At the Leslie-Lohman, Queer Artists Transform Our Understanding of Home | Artsy
At the Leslie-Lohman Museum in New York, “Dreaming of Home” features LGBTQ+ artists and their relationship with home.
ArtsyMaxwell Rabb
Monster, Survivor, Villain, Victim: The Many Faces of Queer Horror
Believe it or not, the first time many young queers feel seen in media isn’t in some sweet romcom, it’s in horror. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a queer character in the horror story who makes …
CrimeReadsAdam Sass

Facts & Figures

Data to Digest

United States: California becomes first state to require venture capital companies to report diversity data from portfolio company founders
In first-of-its-kind legislation, under SB 54, California will require venture capital companies to collect and report diversity data from portfolio company founders as soon as 1 March 2025. The new Fair Investment Practices by Investment Advisers law intends to increase transparency regarding the d…
Global Compliance NewsLothar Determann, Helena J. Engfeldt, Loic Coutelier, Maxim V. Tsotsorin, Caroline Burnett

Liabilities

Challenges to Overcome

Mike Johnson’s Wife Founded a Company That Equates Being Gay With Bestiality and Incest: Report
Every new revelation about the House Speaker is worse than the last.
Vanity FairCondé Nast
US warns businesses of risks in Uganda, citing anti-LGBTQ law
The United States on Monday issued a business advisory for Uganda, saying that businesses faced potential risks in the African country, citing an anti-LGBTQ law condemned by many countries and the United Nations.
ReutersKanishka Singh
A year after Elon Musk bought Twitter, LGBTQ people say it has become toxic
On Musk’s X, users are allowed to deadname and misgender transgender people and make money off of anti-LGBTQ content.
NBC NewsJo Yurcaba
Instead of fighting LGBTQ rights in court, Hong Kong’s gov’t has a chance to lead change - why doesn’t it? - Hong Kong Free Press HKFP
Another day, another court ruling striking down a Hong Kong government practice of discriminating against gay people. This time an appeals court unanimously upheld a lower court decision that authorities must recognise the right of same-sex couples legally married overseas to inherit property, in th…
Hong Kong Free Press HKFPJohn Burns
Hungary Bans Teenagers From Visiting World Press Photo Exhibition Over Display Of LGBT Images
People younger than 18 have been barred from visiting this year’s World Press Photo exhibition in Budapest, after Hungary’s right-wing populist government determined that some of its photos violate a contentious law restricting LGBT content.
RFE/RLAP
Mike Johnson’s wife’s runs company which compared homosexuality to incest
Newly elected House speaker Mike Johnson’s wife compared homosexuality to incest in company documents for her counselling service.
PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ newsAmelia Hansford

Future Outlook

Opportunities & Events to Know About

LGBTQ+ Business Week

Join thousands of businesses and supporters in a 7-day celebration of queer-owned small businesses! From November 27-December 3, we'll be hosting virtual events to help queer-owned small businesses thrive, build, and learn from each other.

Add your business to the #BuyProud Business Database and stay tuned as we reveal the event and speaker lineup for LGBTQ+ Business Week.

Visit www.lgbtqbusinessweek.com and follow us at @lgbtqbusinessweek

Read more