Rainbow Collective of Thunder Bay hopes to give local businesses an LGBTQ-friendly stamp of approval.
President Jason Veltri explains the group is offering workshops on gender and sexual diversity and how to make your business more gender-neutral.
He says it’s also “to signal to our community that we’re doing the work to certify businesses to ensure that they meet our standards, to provide that positive and welcoming space for all who identify under the gender and sexual diversity umbrella.”
Once an organization finishes the training, it can display a sticker showing it’s certified. That will expire after three years, but can be reviewed before that if the Collective receives complaints.
They’ve completed just one workshop so far, but Veltri is hopeful they can hold more once the province allows larger gatherings.
“You can feed off the energy in the room, and you can have honest, and open, and safe conversations and answer people’s questions that need that answer or that reassurance that they’re doing the right thing,” he says.
