After a whirlwind Pride month with five events and the release of both our Arcadia Brewing “Pride and Joy” beer and XhAle Brew Co. soda (still available for ordering!), I was feeling tired on the drive back from Calgary to Edmonton. I had travelled to Calgary to host a networking event and cybersecurity workshop at the Marriott hotel downtown. It was a great event in terms of the content provided by A.J. Leece and Ty McKinney as well as the conversations had and connections made.
I feel so fortunate I get to do this work, connecting with local Queer, Trans and allied businesses across the province, providing support through workshops, webinars, events, resources and in other ways. We say yes to a lot of opportunities because it’s hard to say no to people who are similarly eager to build the conditions for Queer and Trans Thriving right here in Alberta.
Still, I was tired on the drive so I decided to stop, pulling over in Red Deer to visit a new member, Junktique, to stock up on pins and stickers that my kids have come to expect upon my return. It’s a cute store selling a mixture of antiques, vintage clothing and an incredible collection of 2SLGBTQI+ (and allied) merchandise. I spoke with the owner for a while about the store then dropped off a couple cans of our Chamber Xhale Soda for them to try.
I asked them about their experience in Red Deer as a Queer business. I have certain ideas of what parts of Alberta are like in terms of 2SLGTBQI+ acceptance but I’m also from a small town in Saskatchewan and know how it feels to have blunt descriptions of the places we love flatten the beauty of them. The owner shared how amazing the Queer community is while acknowledging the challenges they face, particularly the negative attention received following announcements on the latest anti-2SLGBTQI+ legislation. She also expressed pride in being a pillar of the community, a place where people get to be their authentic selves and purchase items that bring them joy.
I had the same feeling at Arcadia Brewing when 25 of us met to drink our “Pride and Joy” beer and talk about our lives and work. I had the same feeling biking around to different Queer-owned businesses, seeing people shop joyfully while talking to the owners about how their Pride month was going. I had the same feeling when we all gathered in Calgary and learned from Ty Mckinney about the impact of burnout and why Queer and trans (and marginalized people in general) feel it more acutely and what we can do to support each other.
In my last newsletter, I opened with “this year, Pride feels different”. It did. It felt more exhausting to hold the twin contradictions of the “Joy of Pride” alongside the very real retreat of 2SLGBTQI+ rights here in our province. Despite this complexity, Pride month was a beautiful experience, and one that reminded me of the importance of the work we do all year round.
Since December, the Alberta 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce has grown by almost 60% and now has a network of 159 members. This summer, we’ll be taking some time to rest and recharge but we are not stopping. We are planning more events, more online webinars, building more resources (some exciting things to announce soon) and exploring more partnership opportunities.
We’re building this because we’ve heard loud and clear from all of you that it is needed. You’ve leaned in, you’ve spread the word and you’ve shown up in person and online. We don’t take that for granted. You show up for your community and customers and we’ll keep showing up for you.
We also want to continue to grow and evolve along with your specific needs. We want this to be your Chamber. With that in mind, we ask that you take 5 minutes to fill out this short survey asking a few questions about your experience with the Alberta 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce, including what you like and what you’d like to see differently. We’ve also included an opportunity for you to share any Pride moments this year that you found particularly meaningful!
If you fill out the survey, you’ll have a chance to win a free Alberta 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce t-shirt!
Thanks again for all you do for our community! If you’d like to chat, I’m always available for a virtual call and can be reached at elli.mcdine@ab-lgbt.com.
