You may have noticed, I hope, that rainbow flags have started popping up on your local high street. There’s a note of celebration in the air – or at the very least – some well-meaning but ultimately somewhat tone-deaf corporations have jazzed up their logos for the month. June represents Pride month. A month to celebrate the LGBT+ community, the hardships many have faced and continue to do so. It is a month to reflect on how far we’ve come – same-sex marriage, greater visibility in the workplace and media, a generation of young people who are growing up with language and frameworks for who they are that simply didn’t exist a decade ago. Yet, the fight is far from over. Hate crime statistics are rising, not just for the LGBT+ communities but for other marginalised groups. Trans people face daily hostility. Many of us still scan a room before we hold someone’s hand.
I’ve been thinking about what it means to be an LGBT+ business owner, and the answer is, truthfully and thankfully, not very much. We are so fortunate to live in a day and age where being LGBT+ barely flutters an eyelid. My kids go to the same schools, we are welcomed to the same spaces, we have the same squabbles as everyone else. It is simply a fact of life – an act of existing openly, building something real and connecting with people.
Pride month is about so much more than a new logo or limited edition. It’s about celebrating the creativity and ingenuity of a community that has not always been welcomed. This month, I want to shout out some of the brilliant, growing LGBT+ small business owners and creatives. People making exceptional things, being their authentic selves, and who deserve your love.
Saucy Bitch
Founded by boyfriends Dean Smith and Steve cook, these Artisan fermented hot sauces are made with locally-sourced east London chillies. Vegan, bold, and community-rooted. Find them at saucybitch.co.uk.
Kate Young
Award-winning food writer and author of the Little Library Cookbook series — recipes inspired by beloved works of fiction, with Nigella Lawson among her fans. Her latest cookbook, Dinner at Mine? is available now. kateyoungwrites.com
Beck & Co
Alternative children's clothing brand making bold illustrated T-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies by wife and wife team Hollie and Jade. All drawn, designed, printed and packed in-house. Loved for quality and packaging. beckandco.shop
Two Dogs
Founded by chef Jen Greenhalgh, this is American comfort food with a British twist. Started as a Catford popup, now a full catering, sauce and consultancy operation. The Nashville Hot Chilli Crisp is the one. https://twodogsldn.com/
The Gay Farmer
Mark Dyer's multi-award-winning single estate organic extra virgin olive oils, harvested from his mother's farm in Murcia, Spain since 2008. The name started as a joke — he kept it. £1 from every "queer can" goes to akt. thegayfarmer.com
Brighton Gin
Founded by Kathy Caton MBE, Europe's only LGBTQ+ founded, owned and run craft distillery. Small-batch, organic, vegan, hand-bottled. Annual limited-edition Pride bottle in collaboration with a queer artist, with profits to the Brighton Rainbow Fund. brightongin.com
Digby Fine English
Husband-and-husband team Trevor Clough and Jason Humphries quit corporate London to make English sparkling wine world-famous. An early vintage beat Krug and Dom Pérignon in a 2017 blind tasting. Tasting room on Arundel high street. digby-fine-english.com
Lily Waite Ceramics
The ceramics studio of Lily Waite-Marsden, founder of Queer Brewing, beer writer and photographer. Functional tableware for modern food and drink culture: minimalist forms and glazes, designed for the everyday and the refined. All made by Lily in her East London studio. https://www.lilywaite.co.uk/shop
Gay-On-Wye
Independent LGBTQ+ bookshop in the world's first "town of books", founded by Thomas Owen in 2023. Stocked queer literature and hosted author events, signings and book clubs.. gayonwye.com
There are so many more brilliant businesses out there, and we’d love to know about them, especially closer to home. If you know of a queer-owned maker, grower or creative we should be shouting about, drop me a message.
Happy Pride. Now go and buy something delicious. 🌈