Greater Napanee Pride has started a business directory to allows members of the LGBTQ+ community to not only support those businesses but also know they are safe spaces.
Tiffany Lloyd is vice chair of Greater Napanee Pride. She says the idea for starting a business directory came from 2slgbtqia+ community in the area.
“People were e-mailing us calling us asking which businesses in town were safe and they all had a different reason why they were asking, whether they were getting married whether they were a person looking for a safe place to buy clothing,” she says.
Businesses in Lennox and Addington can register on line at Greater Napanee Pride’s website buy agreeing to a pledge that includes language about inclusivity, respect, acceptance and diversity for workers, customers and the community at large.
The business directory was established Friday and so far nine local businesses have signed up. Lloyd says she expects more will sign on.
“We’ve been so fortunate here to have so much incredible support from our business community at pride through sponsorship, through showing up to events through the vendors at our market.”
The owner of the Keto Bakery Lisa Revell says she can’t imagine not making anyone feel welcome at her business and thinks it’s important to provide safe spaces for people that could be facing discrimination.
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“Especially with high school students, I always felt that was important for them, if they were getting bullied or anything, they can just pop in, they don’t even have to buy anything it’s just a way for them to escape,” Revell says.
The owner of Ellena’s Cafe and Pantry, Ellena Fleury gives similar reasons for joining the directory. She says everyone should be welcome.
“To me it wasn’t really a question because we do support everybody and we do understand that there are struggles still out there unfortunately but it shouldn’t be here,” Fleury says.
Lloyd says business owners will have to sign up annually to the Greater Napanee Pride Directory and join what she hopes will be a long list of safe spaces in the community.
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