Every year, during the month of June, the LGBTQ+ community celebrates their pride and sexuality. Pride month is an opportunity to peacefully protest and raise political awareness of current issues facing the community. In normal times, around the world, fabulous events are held during this special month. While gatherings and parades might be canceled or subdued this year due to the pandemic, your support for LGBTQ+ rights should never cease.
As a platform built around the discovery of delicious food and great products, we wanted to celebrate Pride this month by recommending some pretty awesome LGBTQ+ owned plant-based and sustainable businesses.
Yeah Dawg
Yeah Dawg is run by nonbinary vegan chef Marino Benedetto, who specializes in delicious plant-based hot dogs. Benedetto started this business in June 2013 after spending six years working at a homeless youth shelter as a chef and counselor. Their job was to feed healthy meals to kids who were accustomed to fast food. They decided to try and turn the American classic into a healthy meal. Thus began the journey of Yeah Dawg. Today, Yeah Dawg makes plant-based, soy-free and gluten-free hot dogs, sausages, condiments and toppings and ships its products across the United States of America.
Photo: Heckin' Unicorn
Heckin' Unicorn
Heckin' Unicorn is a Singapore-based brand that makes pride pin badges, socks and other quirky items. It is designed by queer people, for queer people. Heckin Unicorn created Singapore’s first transgender pin in 2019 and pledged to donate all of the profits from its sales to The T Project, a local trans shelter in Singapore. It ships its products worldwide, so no matter where you are, jump online and support them.
HOMOCO
HOMOCO is a queer swim brand that draws on the legacy of founder-designer Daniel DuGoff’s family’s Washington, DC–area gas stations, Homes Oil Company that went by the nickname "HOMOCO." His use of the name alludes to that history while clearly stating who the brand is for – fashionable people who love fun.
HOMOCO makes printed swim trunks out of recycled plastic and camp shirts from sustainably harvested Tencel. Their swim trunks are made from 90% Repreve. Repreve is polyester made from recycled plastic. HOMOCO donates a portion of its sales to organizations that champion queer rights. HOMOCO ships in the United States and internationally.
Wilde Mode
Wilde Mode is a handmade clothing and apparel brand in Dundee, Scotland. They make size-inclusive underwear and leggings to order. Their clothes are gender-free, disability and sensory-friendly, and they come in sizes XS-6XL. Wilde Mode is sustainable, ethical, inclusive and boasts a 100% carbon neutral footprint. The brand focuses on sustainability and ensures that not a single piece of waste goes into a bin. It is all either recycled or up-cycled.
Photo Credit: Fluide
Fluide
Fluide is a queer-owned beauty company that produces makeup for men, women, and everyone in between. Fluide was started in 2018 by co-founders Isabella Giancarlo and Laura Kraber. They started this beauty brand to represent queer people. Their collection includes makeup that is cruelty-free, glitter-free, and free from potentially harmful chemicals like parabens and formaldehyde. Fluide currently does not ship outside the United States and Canada, however, a selection of their products is available at Verv London for UK and EU customers.
Photo: Femme Forte
Femme Forte
Femme Forte, a small, queer, sustainable brand based in London, allows founder Zoe Schulz to combine two of her passions. Femme Forte began in 2019 as a fundraising initiative for the London LGBTQ+ Community Centre and as a reaction to the fast fashion industry and its environmental impact. Femme Forte makes a range of bags and t-shirts. All inks are water-based, non-toxic and do not contain ozone-depleting chemicals or microplastics. These are also vegan and GOTS-certified organic. 10% of their sales goes towards supporting an LGBTQ+ center in London. Femme Forte ships literally everywhere. So, if you purchase their clothes, your money is going to a good cause.
SAPPHO New Paradigm
SAPPHO New Paradigm is a women-led luxury Canadian color cosmetic line, free of known carcinogens and endocrine disruptors. They offer vegan and organic products that blend with all skin types. SAPPHO's products are formulated for performance by experts and designed by JoAnn Fowler, an Emmy-nominated makeup artist. JoAnn is a proud supporter of LGBTQ+ initiatives, artists and highlights Vancouver Pride activities every year. SAPPHO’s products are shipped to Asia, Middle East, Canada and the USA.
Photo: NOTO Botanics
