Pride season officially kicks off in a month–but this year’s celebrations are already looking very different from what we’ve grown accustomed to. At many Pride celebrations—including those in New York City, San Francisco, and St. Louis—corporate sponsors, once ubiquitous, have begun pulling their support. In response to conservative backlash against DEI efforts and rising hostility […]
Category: Business
Posted inDigital Equity Lab
LGBTQ+ Business Bootcamp aims to uplift and guide queer entrepreneurs
With the Trump administration’s harsh rhetoric and policies coming into effect, it’s a difficult year to be queer or a business owner. Kristina Wynne hopes to alleviate some of that. Now entering its sixth year, the Illinois LGBT Chamber of Commerce LGBTQ+ Biz Bootcamp aims to lift up and prepare LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs for a successful […]
Posted inTop Stories
News is Out expands: Welcoming 6 new affiliates to our groundbreaking LGBTQ+ media collaborative
News is Out, the groundbreaking LGBTQ+ media collaborative, is proud to welcome six new affiliate members. This expansion strengthens the collaborative’s mission to amplify LGBTQ+ voices and ensure equitable, community-centered journalism across the country. The six new affiliate members are: The Buckeye Flame (Ohio) Between the Lines/Pridesource (Michigan) Lookout (Arizona) OutSFL (Southern Florida) QNotesCarolinas (Carolinas) Watermark Out News (Central Florida) “The […]
Posted inDigital Equity Lab
Lived experience guides Tate Smith’s trans and DEI consulting firm
Five years ago, Tate Smith, then a legal secretary, decided it was time to share something about himself at his workplace, Clifford Chance, a major law firm in London. “I was like, ‘OK, I haven’t spoken publicly since I was in high school, and I don’t know if I can do it.’ But then I […]
Posted inDigital Equity Lab
The queer couple fighting for DEI — with math
When faced with questions of diversity, equity, and inclusion, detractors often respond with demands for evidence or complaints about cost. Husbands Chad Topaz and Jude Higdon spend their time trying to find answers to those questions — on top of their other jobs as math professor, university administrator, and parents to a son and two dogs. It started when Topaz, […]
Posted inNews
Sustainable, genderless and bold fashion: The vision behind Desoire
At only 17 years old, Neha Sikder founded Desoire, her own fashion line of genderless clothing to inspire femininity for everyone. Desoire strives to be a sustainable brand challenging a fashion industry that often promotes only the masculine side in unisex clothing. Sikder was only 13 years old when the idea for Desoire came to […]
Posted inArts and Entertainment
Lucid, with AI, aims to push the boundaries on streaming
Not many 28-year-olds can say they were a professional athlete, top of their class at an elite university, an investment bank analyst, and a global business development lead and now have their own company. But Indy Sanders, founder and CEO of the tech startup Lucid, can. “I don’t think there are any barriers within someone’s […]
Posted inCommunity
Nonbinary hairstylist gives clients the gender-affirming cuts they want
Every nonbinary and trans person’s gender-affirming care is specific to them. It might include certain personal identity changes, such as one’s pronouns, name, and gender markers on legal documents; weekly injections of testosterone or estrogen (i.e. hormone therapy); surgeries; and mental health support. Another way for a person to feel more comfortable with who they […]
Posted inTop Stories
Celebrate the holidays by supporting queer-owned food brands
Looking to make your holiday shopping more meaningful and delicious this year? The Queer Food Foundation (QFF) has just come out with their 2024 Gift Guide, featuring over 90 queer-owned brands in the food and beverage world. This guide created by LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs, offers everything from artisanal snacks and beverages to foodie experiences and cookbooks. […]
Posted inDigital Equity Lab
How local LGBTQ+ and BIPOC-ran media organizations are at risk, and what is being done to help
A 2023 report from Northwestern University found that local news deserts are occurring at an alarming rate. There are 204 counties in the United States without a local media outlet, and 228 U.S. counties are currently on a watch list for losing theirs out of 1,562 counties with only one local news source. This includes newspapers, […]
Posted inTop Stories
Corporate America’s embrace of LGBTQ+ rights shaped history. What’s next for allyship?
Special to News is Out from the LGBT History Project. “The evolution of a company’s policies and branding and reputation is a lifelong work-in-progress,” said Bob Witek, a pioneering LGBTQ+ business leader and communications strategist. Concepts like DEI are mainstream today, and advertising to LGBTQ+ customers is commonplace — but neither were the norm thirty years […]
Posted inNews
StartOut and J.P. Morgan unveil latest cohort of LGBTQ+ startups for Growth Lab Accelerator
The Growth Lab Accelerator, a joint initiative by StartOut and J.P. Morgan has announced its 2024 cohort of LGBTQ+ owned startups. Since its inception in 2017, the Growth Lab has propelled 93 companies to scale, helping create over 4,200 jobs and raising more than $892 million in funding. During the five-month program, the selected startups […]
Posted inArts and Entertainment
CEO of LGBTQ+ dating app Bindr speaks on inclusive goals
PGN sat down with Mary Richardson, co-founder and CEO of Bindr, a dating app designed to prevent stigma and encourage community for the LGBTQ+ dating scene, primarily among bisexual users. With unique features such as a timeline for users to share their experiences with one another, this is not your typical dating or hookup app. […]
Posted inCommunity
Trans entrepreneurs empower queer community through apparel
Length, width, fabric type, looseness or tightness — there are a number of reasons why a clothing item doesn’t work for a person. For trans, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming individuals, ill-fitting clothes present another issue: causing, or exacerbating, gender dysphoria. With LGBTQ well-being in mind, two transgender entrepreneurs of apparel companies — Kylo Freeman, founder and […]
Posted inCulture
Queer Cannabis: A guide to LGBTQ+-owned dispensaries and brands nationwide
Currently, recreational marijuana is legal in 26 states and U.S. territories. Voters in Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota will also have their chance to vote for the legalization of recreational marijuana this November. The legal cannabis industry is on track to generate around 40 billion dollars in revenue in 2024. There are LGBTQ+ cannabis brands […]
Posted inCulture
The rise of sober LGBTQ+ spaces
Bars have long been a key part of LGBTQ+ culture. They provide us with safe havens where we can be ourselves, fall in love and meet friends that often become family. They give us a place to rally and organize, to grieve and celebrate. Patrons of the Stonewall Inn, a queer bar in New York […]
Posted inNews
Queer financial planner reaches out to LGBTQs
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people took to doing or learning something new to fill their shelter-in-place days, keep boredom at bay, and move forward, in some way, during an otherwise standstill time. Entrepreneur Kerrie Carden decided to take the bull by the horns and change things up a bit. “During the […]
Posted inCommunity
Fad2Fresh vintage shop provides space for LGBTQ+ community connections
This story is part of the Digital Equity Local Voices Fellowship lab through News is Out. The lab initiative is made possible with support from Comcast NBCUniversal. Fad2Fresh is more than a vintage store—it’s a community third space. Alex Jones (pictured) and Abigail Millner have been part of the vintage community for years. Photo courtesy of […]
Posted inTravel
LGBTQ+ travelers navigate unique challenges, Booking.com study highlights
Booking.com recently surveyed over 11,000 LGBTQ+ travelers from 27 different countries and created a report about the habits and preferences of queer and transgender tourists. The research highlights challenges faced by LGBTQ+ travelers and measures taken to ensure safe and enjoyable travel experiences. Despite increasing inclusivity within the travel industry, the survey reveals that hurdles […]
Posted inNews
Target shrinks nonbinary artist’s Pride 2024 products
This article first appeared in the Bay Area Reporter. As Target unveiled its 2024 Pride collection this week, one nonbinary designer is disappointed that the retail giant drastically reduced the number of pieces they were to have provided. En Tze Loh, who is based in Toronto, Canada, runs their small business GRRRL Spells on Etsy, […]
