LGBTQ+ champions: who is doing it right?
by Olivia Woodhouse
It’s Pride month, and while many companies proudly wave the rainbow flag in June, they’re not always doing the hard work behind the scenes. To celebrate Pride and shine a spotlight on the brands that do pull their weight year-round, we’re profiling three companies that support their queer communities in different ways.
thequeercoffeeco.com
The Queer Coffee Co.
David Rielly-MacLellan, founder of The Queer Coffee Co., took us back to the uncertainty of 2020 when he says he found his inspiration: “Like many, QCC started as a lockdown project. With so many things going on in the world, I felt powerless and wanted to give back to the LGBTQ+ community.”
With a background in design and marketing, a love of coffee and a little barista experience, Rielly-MacLellan had found his calling. It’s these skills he says he wanted to use to “help the community that matters to him [me] and his [my] family.”
It’s clear that at the heart of his business is the desire to give back, with 20% of all profits being donated to LGBTQ+ charities and/or causes that directly impact queer lives.
“True allyship goes beyond limited-edition offers and thinks of our experiences even when we’re not a trending topic or slot in the calendar.”
You can find QCC’s fresh coffee blends on the website and on the shelves of a queer co-op space in Glasgow. Looking to the future, Rielly-MacLellan hopes to continue to grow QCC’s partnerships through LGBTQ+-owned businesses and venues that align with his brand’s values.
PR For The People
When Lucy Sambrook was made redundant in lockdown, with 10+ years of PR and journalism behind her, she had a lightbulb moment: “I came up with the idea of a membership that would allow people to save thousands on hiring a PR and do it themselves.”
Along came PR For The People, a monthly membership that provides small businesses with the tools to do their own PR. Included is an extensive database of press contacts and a range of resources amongst many other perks, all for £49.50 a month.
Since its founding, PR For The People has featured in Forbes and bagged a number of award nominations—as well as helping to promote 350 businesses. It’s certainly been a busy year, and for good reason: Sambrook’s business model has been built with accessibility at its core.
“It's always important to be mindful of supporting marginalised communities as they often won't have as much access to things like expensive PR agencies. That's why we created PR For The People, to level the playing field and create more equal opportunities for everyone to get their story heard in the media.”
Additionally, the business provides five non-profit organisations with a free membership every year and has categories within its press database for sustainability-focused press, LGBTQ+ press and POC-focused press contacts.
Jecca Blac
During her time working as a makeup artist in film and TV, Jessica Blackler noticed the industry’s blind spot—supplying makeup for trans women. From there she decided to set up the Jecca Blac studio, a space for trans women to safely experiment with makeup under her direction.
After Blackler’s studio had established itself in the trans community she took her skills to Parc Prison in Wales, where she provided voluntary makeup lessons to trans prisoners. Soon after, Blackler founded Jecca Blac, a makeup brand that celebrates all makeup wearers, regardless of gender. For every product bought, customers receive a free 10-minute consultation to show them how best to use their products.
The brand’s marketing manager, Maxine Heron, spoke to us about the many ways the company actively supports LGBTQ+ communities.
“We have an LGBTQ+ inclusive team and regularly partner with LGBTQ+ charities to fundraise so that we can make sure we're giving back in as many ways as possible.”
On the website there’s a refreshing representation of different gender identities amongst those modelling the products; this ethos extends to their social media partnerships with LGBTQ+ influencers.
Heron goes on to describe the annual Trans Festival hosted by Jecca Blac every August, something as “an incredible event uniting the trans community and allies in an inspiring, safe-space setting.”
By pushing the boundaries of the beauty industry, Jecca Blac is creating a space for conversation about how society views makeup.