As we enter July, we’re taking a tiny trip down memory lane. June is celebrated as Pride month and it’s the time when all of us show off our Pride merchandise. And no, I’m not saying that Pride Month is the only time you should show your support for the LGBTQIA+ community. It’s important to demonstrate support, raise awareness of LGBT rights, and expose homophobic trolls. Having said that, being a queer person and running your own business cannot be as easy as it is for a heterosexual person (we acknowledge our privilege). In an exclusive chat with, Hauterrfly, owner of Tinieknits (a small business selling cute crochet accessories, amigurumi, and more), Lex/Lis shared the challenges they face with their business and how Pride month and Pride events help them grow their business.
As a queer business owner, what challenges did you face when starting your business?
Lex said, “I started my business around 2021. As a queer person, I want to make my business accessible and affordable to other queer people because I know that like especially as a young queer person I didn’t have any queer merch to go to, so I wanted to have these quirky things or queer things that people can afford.”
Speaking further about their queer-made business, Lex said, “Younger people can afford even if they don’t have a job or something and since I do crochet, it’s a lot of manual labour. I think I’ve sort of found it a little hard to manage that way because I think back then there was still some stigma around it but things have improved a lot recently, especially with Pride events like these it’s been really good.”
How Do Pride Events Help Queer Business Owners?
Speaking to Hauterrfly, Papri Dev (VP, Communications, APAC at Tinder) said, “Tinder works with organisations like Gaysi Family in India to run campaigns, passing the mic to organisations to help them fight misconceptions faced by the LGBTQIA+ community and cultivate acceptance.”
“As a strong ally, our vision is to help create meaningful connections and a place where people can be their authentic selves. Queer Made Weekend is an extension of that vision; an avenue for everyone to show their support to queer entrepreneurs from across different spectrums of gender, sexuality, age and location, who will showcase their work and reach new and more audiences, supporting them to continue doing what they love,” she further added.
Gaysi member Mrinalini Godara shares, “Stalls (at the Queer Made Weekend) are provided for free, regardless of business size. We carefully curate the brands at the event to ensure a diverse range of businesses from well-known brands to newly launched brands and handmade items to create a level playing field for queer businesses.”
“For new businesses, the event provides validation and confidence to showcase their work. For community-led initiatives, it offers a chance to reclaim space, raise awareness, and engage with attendees. The impact extends to social media, enhancing engagement and education,” she added.
So for all those of you who question why we need to celebrate Pride Month, we hope this answers your question!