Starting With Pride, Purpose and Possibility
Hi friends,
I stepped into the role of Executive Director of the Alberta 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce in the middle of Pride Month. Shortly after starting, I travelled to the CGLCC Business Summit in Toronto, where I met with other 2SLGBTQI+ organizational leaders, entrepreneurs, and professionals from across Canada.
The whole event was energizing, but there was one moment in particular that stuck with me.
It was the end of a long day of conference sessions. We were gathered on a hotel patio for an informal networking event. I’ve been to plenty of these over the years, but this felt different. People were dancing, laughing, and leaning into conversation with care and curiosity. The energy was communal and unguarded. In that moment, I felt something I hadn’t in a long time: a deep sense of alignment between my personal values and my professional world.
That feeling matters. Especially in a time where queerness and transness are so often politicized, erased, or reduced to performance. Pride isn’t just a celebration. It’s a resistance. It’s a joyful reclaiming of space, of family, and of futures still being written.
I often think of Ocean Vuong’s reflection on queerness:
“Being queer saved my life. Often we see queerness as deprivation. But when I look at my life, I saw that queerness demanded an alternative innovation from me. I had to make alternative routes; it made me curious; it made me ask, ‘Is this enough for me?’”
That question, is this enough for me, has guided so much of my journey as a queer trans woman. Coming out as queer and transitioning made me realize how much of my life I had spent on autopilot, rarely making affirmative decisions from a place of “is this enough for me?” Instead, I lost myself in other people’s ideas of who I was and what I should be doing with my life. When I finally came out in my 30s, it transformed not just my gender identity and relationships but my whole life. The gift of queerness was that it made me finally become an active agent in my own story.
And in the last few months, as I’ve met with members at our Pride Pop Up Market in Calgary and Coffee with the Chamber event in Edmonton, I’ve heard versions of that question
“Is it enough for me?” again and again. Not just in conversations about business, but in deeper questions of purpose. Members have shared stories of stepping away from stifling jobs to build something on their own terms. They’ve talked about creating teams rooted in belonging, or launching projects that challenge traditional structures. They are not just looking for profit. They are building lives and systems rooted in care, creativity, justice and community.
That is what excites me about leading this Chamber. This isn’t about copying what others have done. We are not just another chamber with rainbow branding. We are a queer chamber, rooted in the brilliance, resilience, and real needs of 2SLGBTQI+ entrepreneurs and professionals across Alberta.
And we are building it together.
Now that you’ve gotten to know a little about me, I’d love to know more about you. I’ve created a short form to gather your stories. Tell me about the joys and challenges you’ve faced this past year. Share how you envision a thriving queer and trans-owned business ecosystem and how we can best support you right now.
If you are open to it, you’re also invited to join me for a short 15-minute video chat (sign up through the form). We will share these stories on our website and social media to showcase the incredible work being done across our community and to help people connect with one another.
We are in a politically and culturally difficult moment. Anti-trans and anti-queer rhetoric continues to spread. On top of that, entrepreneurs and professionals are navigating rising costs of living and doing business, global supply chain uncertainties, rapid shifts in technology like AI, and the ripple effects of ongoing geopolitical conflicts that destabilize markets and communities.
These challenges are real.
Still, I don’t believe we are starting from a place of deprivation. I believe we are starting from strength. From authenticity. From the collective creativity and courage of people who are imagining, and building, a better world through their work.
I know many of you are carrying a lot. You are running businesses, raising families, holding space for others, and pushing for change. And you are doing it with care, joy, and a relentless hope that deserves to be recognized.
You’ve shown up. And I want this Chamber to show up for you.
I’m grateful to be on this journey with all of you. And I am committed to uplifting, celebrating, and supporting you in your work and beyond.
With gratitude,
Elli McDine (she/her)
Executive Director
Alberta 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce
We’re building a Chamber that reflects the real stories, needs, and dreams of queer and trans entrepreneurs and professionals across Alberta. Tell us a little about who you are and what you care about. This should take less than 10 minutes and we will use your responses to inform our future programming and other ways we can build value for chamber members.
