Introducing The Balance Sheet by Queerency!
Hey I'm Trav, and I'm the founder & CEO of Queerency. Consuming the latest queer news can sometimes be depressing. While it's important to know about anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, attacks on gender-affirming care, etc., there's also a lot of good queer news (particularly in the business space!) that is worthy of our attention too. It's all about balance.
So welcome to The Balance Sheet, a weekly newsletter by Queerency providing a balanced overview of the latest news in LGBTQ+ business, politics, and more. This newsletter will have a balance of good news (Assets), not-so-good news (Liabilities), awesome queer-owned brands (Equity), and events & opportunities that you should know about (Future Outlook).
It's been a while since you've heard from me via email, and that's because I've been seeking work/life balance myself. While much of my time over the last 9 months has been spent helping care for my parents as they battled health issues, I've also been busy building Queerency. Here's a brief update of what I've been up to:
- Queerency social media accounts recently hit two milestones: 50K followers on TikTok and 10K followers on Instagram! (If you need help with your TikTok or Instagram strategy, book a call with me!)
- I'm now a Forbes contributor, where I get to report at the intersection of the queer economy and the creator economy.
- Last November I partnered with over two dozen queer-owned brands to pilot the first-ever LGBTQ+ Business Week. If you're interested in partnering for the first annual LGBTQ+ Business Week (November 1-7, 2023) email lgbtqbusinessweek@gmail.com.
- Last fall, Queerency was selected to participate in the Google News Initiative Startups Labs, the TikTok Support Black Businesses Accelerator, and was a recipient of the News Equity Fund by Google.
There are some more great things coming in the near future that I can't wait to share with you. In the meantime, you can expect to receive The Balance Sheet in your inbox every week.
Until next week, stay balanced.
Trav
Assets
Good Queer News in Business, Politics, and More
Hershey says it stands by its International Women’s Day campaign featuring a trans woman even after calls to boycott the company
Canadian trans-rights activist Fae Johnstone tweeted she hopes the campaign “shows trans girls they can dream big and change the world too.”
Huileng TanKids of Queer Parents Are Alright, Sometimes Even Better: Study
That’s the conclusion of new published research, which reviewed previous studies on sexual minority parents.
Trudy Ring
A Large-Scale LGBTQ-Focused Development Comes To Cleveland
The developer hopes the 30,000-square-foot mixed-use project will one day anchor a larger LGBTQ+ neighborhood.
Michigan passes bill giving civil rights protections to LGBTQ people
Lawmakers in Michigan have passed a bill to expand civil rights protections to the LGBTQ community, with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) expected to sign the measure into law when it reaches her desk. Th…
Stephen Neukam
Maren Morris, Sheryl Crow & More Call Out Tennessee’s Anti-LGBTQ Laws With ‘Love Rising’ Benefit Show
The concert will also feature performances from Jason Isbell, Hozier, Hayley Williams, Brothers Osborne, Brittany Howard and more.
Stephen Daw
Canada repeals historic laws targeting women, LGBTQ community
Canada has expunged historic indecency and anti-abortion laws, the government said, in a criminal justice system reform that will allow people to clear their records.
Molly Cone/cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/OAOWWBUGOJJOVBPPYQJGJJO4DQ.jpg)
Michigan coffee shops that received threats will now reopen
Detroit’s The Gathering Coffee Co. and Lansing’s Strange Matter were closed after receiving threatening letters
Jewelry store owners clap back at anti-LGBTQ+ lawmakers with “Say Gay” stickers
“We have to stand up for others,” the store owner tells LGBTQ Nation…
Greg Owen
Ranchers help members of LGBTQ community find acceptance in rural America
Pop culture leads up to believe big cities are usually more accepting of different communities, like the LGBTQ community. But the city life isn’t for everyone.
By: Vanessa Misciagna
Nebraska lawmaker continues push for LGBTQ nondiscrimination employment policy | Nebraska Examiner
Legislative Bill 169 would enshrine employment nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in law.
Zach Wendling
My Latest From Forbes
Why Tennessee’s Ban On Drag Performance Is Bad For Business
Business leaders on the local, state and national level say that anti-LGBTQ legislation like Tennessee’s ban on drag and gender-affirming care are not only an attack on the LGBTQ+ community, and are bad for business.
Travers Johnson
What ‘He Gets Us’ Doesn’t Get About Marketing To Millennials And Gen-Z
If the goal of He Gets Us is to target a diverse range of young people and “spiritually open skeptics,” the actions of some of the campaign’s affiliated groups and donors might make the skeptics even more skeptical.
Travers Johnson
Liabilities
Challenges to Overcome
‘Get woke, go broke’: Silicon Valley Bank’s top woman executive, LGBTQ+ activist gets targeted for lender’s failure
With over $209 billion in assets, the California-based lender was the 16th largest US bank. The bank became the largest to collapse since the 2008 financial crisis.
Pranav Dixit
The Ann Arbor area is losing LGBTQ spaces. ‘Where do we go?’
Even in Ann Arbor, a city home to many historic LGBTQ firsts, bars and community centers have shut their doors in recent years.
Lucas Smolcic Larson | lsmolciclarsonmlive.com
Bible verse inscribed stone found at business that supports the LGBTQ community
The bar manager views the stone as a threat because the business supports the LGBTQ community
Justin Lundy/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gray/BQLBQPQNZBH5JFCPHMI2WLMNVA.PNG)
Students switch up college plans as states pass anti-LGBTQ laws
Students, parents and college counselors say some LGBTQ youth are choosing not to attend colleges in states that have passed legislation targeting their rights.
Rose Horowitch
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis taps ex-pastor to Disney oversight board who once said men are turning gay because ‘there’s estrogen in the water from birth control pills’: report
Scientific studies have found that only less than 1% of the estrogen found in drinking water is from birth control pills.
Sarah Al-ArshaniEquity
LGBTQ+ Entrepreneurs & Queer-Owned Brands In the News
Queerarchy, a store celebrating queer community, opens in north downtown Omaha
The mission of Queerarchy is to design unique items “as powerful symbols that inspire happiness so the queer community can live their lives freely without fear or shame.”
SF’s Queer, Filipina-Owned Chocolate Shop Celebrates Love Year-Round
Kokak Chocolates makes organic truffles and bars that taste like kalamansi, pizza and even ramen.
This NJ trans entrepreneur couldn’t find hormone therapy bag in stores. So he designed one
Braxton Fleming created toiletry bags designed with transgender people’s transition needs in mind. His business now supports the community.
, North Jersey Media Group
A Sapphic Wine Bar Just Opened in Silver Lake
Discover Ruby Fruit: the new lesbian hot spot in Los Angeles. After a glass of natural wine with my Hinge date, here are my thoughts on the importance of queer spaces, the Indigo Girls, and $8 hot dogs.
Andie Eisen
Queer-, Black-Owned New Night Tattoo Studio Opens In Ravenswood With Influences From Comics And Anime
Alex Haynes wanted to bring a more welcoming tattoo shop to Chicago after feeling uncomfortable in other predominantly white, cis and male studios.
Alex V. Hernandez
Brian Richardson Named StartOut CEO
StartOut, the national nonprofit organization serving LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs, today announced Brian Richardson as their new CEO.
StartOut
Future Outlook
Opportunities & Events to Know About
Connecting w/ Community: Building Online Audiences for LGBTQ-Owned Brands
A fireside chat on finding your niche, picking your platform, connecting with collaborators, and accelerating your growth on social media.
