Last year, Pride and Joy Publishing released its flagship publication, Thriving in Business: Strategies for the LGBTQ+ Entrepreneur. Within a week, the book hit #1 in Women in Business and #7 in Entrepreneurship. 

Although the titles and rankings are a good fit for many of the authors within the book, we quickly realized that there was something missing in the literary world. Although 6 out of the 14 authors in this book are either trans, non-binary or gender fluid, there was no existing category for them that perfectly fit the bill. Pride and Joy Publishing began digging into the titles/categories allotted and found that there were currently no “Nonbinary Authors” or “LGBTQ+ Business” categories in existence.  

Although this book is making waves in terms of visibility and direct guidance for LGBTQ+ business owners, the lack of these authorship categories is more than enough evidence that our literary and business worlds...

The next speaker we are showcasing is Bree Pear, CEO of the clothing and social impact company Only Human. Often touted as a queer influencer that creates real impact, Bree is well-known for curating events, social content, and even clothing that drives the needle for social change. She's also an author in our book, Thriving in Business: Strategies for the LGBTQ+ Entrepreneur. Available at www.QueerBusinessBook.com and everywhere books are sold.

So let's Meet Bree, she’s a tech-nerd entrepreneur with a passion for humans and a drive to make waves in this world. In 2016 Bree founded Only Human—a platform for good that brings humans together for a deeper purpose. After hitting rock bottom in her own life she recognized that she had the power to change her narrative and use her skills to help bring others together. Bree truly believes that by building a community of like-minded humans willing to make changes in this world, we can create a ripple effect that's felt on...

We kicked off the first season of our brand new podcast, Out of Queeriosity with the opening keynote from our Pride and Joy Summit. This summit was a queer centered, two-day event we conducted virtually in May 2021. The keynote was given by Barry Brandon (he/they/her/ze), more popularly known as The Queer Indigo.

If you’re on Instagram or TikTok, chances are you’ve seen their trademark, super-human and badass videos. They've been inspiring people from all over the globe to see themselves walking in beautiful international cities with all the confidence of Queer Indigo. The freedom of expression, the joy in authenticity, the raw power of knowing who you are and your inherent value, you can find it all in these 30-second slo-mo videos and it’s brilliant.

In his professional life, Brandon runs a creative and experiential agency called For All Humans, focusing on the growth and expansion of emerging and well-established brands through immersive...

I'll never forget my first phone call with a major literary agent.  My TEDx talk had been selected by Global TED to be featured on their YouTube channel for the day and boom! The phone began ringing, mostly because I had seeded some pretty incredible relationships while waiting for the talk to premiere. 

I'll also never forget a year later when that same literary agent said "Your proposal is great, your sample chapters are amazing. But. The game has changed.  Instead of needing 15k followers to get a book deal, you need 50k.  And I don't think you can get there.  We're done."

Wait, you're saying my marketing plan is on point AND I have a great product, but because I don't have a billion followers (which can be bought for goodness sake! so it's a BS metric), I can't publish my book?!

Watch me.  I went on to form my own publishing company and I've started to publish other LGBTQ+ authors in the realms of memoir, business, self-help, and other...

Was it irony or kismet that I was sitting in a gay bar for the very first time, when I had a Rainbow Parent message me and ask which dating app would be best for her 19 year old newly out daughter?  

There I was, having never even been on a dating app therefore completely clueless, and literally surrounded by LGBTQ+ people. I immediately posed the question to the group I was with and the response was swift and unanimous. HER was the dating app this baby gay should be on first. True story.

As I sent the answer back to this mom, I realized how lucky I am to have access to a community of “been there, done that” queers.  Dating knowledge is specific to culture oftentimes, and in our LGBTQ+ community, it’s not passed down from parent to child. If you're were more like me growing up, it was your big sister and brother that showed you how dating was done. But even then it’s just not that applicable when you’re the sole queer in your...

Countless lives are saved with each suicide prevention workshop we’re able to fund.  While the majority of our suicide prevention workshops are for LGBTQ+ college-age students, this one was the first of its kind. Specifically for parents, caregivers, and teachers of LGBTQ+ teens, our goal was to provide them with the education, resources, and support they need to become powerful suicide preventionists in their own homes and classrooms.  

In our latest workshop for parents of LGBTQ youth, we asked the same set of questions before and after the workshop was presented.

The results blew us away.

With each presentation, we are not only offering space and training that exists nowhere else, we are also equipping parents with the very real vocabulary, skills, and situational practice to intervene when their kids need it most.

We are still working to fund our next workshop. If you’d like to...

If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent way too much time on social media apps during the pandemic.  While we’re in such a time of isolation, we’ve connected virtually in powerful ways.  We’ve also done a ton of introspection and then shared what we’ve found with each other.  Maybe you learned you love to bake sourdough bread.  Maybe, like thousands of people around the world, you discovered that you’re actually not totally heterosexual.  

And maybe, like many, many thousands around the world, you realized that you or your child is actually not neurotypical.  As more and more neurodiverse people share how they experience the world, more and more people realize that Autism, ADD, ADHD, and a host of neurodiverse conditions present in many different ways.  Not everyone presents like Rain Man, right?  

This played out in my family.  As the pandemic moved on and my partner...

Years ago, when I was married to my husband, he was a rising star at an infamous “Big 4” accounting firm. He was tapped as a potential partner in the firm and was asked to go to many Human Resource trainings. He was already a great accountant, but his company wanted him also to possess great management skills. I always knew when he’d attended a training, because he’d come home that day ready to practice what he’d learned.

He’d try “active listening techniques” as we got the kids ready for bed, and he’d ask for a “feedback meeting” that night. It made me giggle, but actually I always appreciated it. When he was at work, he was motivated and in the right mindset to learn new skills. His instructors were always top-notch and the skills he learned at work to become a great manager translated into our relationship at home. Even though he was working extra-long hours for clients most of the year, I felt a strong loyalty to...

The holidays are upon us, and wouldn't it be great to support some Queer-owned businesses and get holidays gifts for LGBTQ+ loved ones (or yourself!) all in one spot?!  I give you.....  The List.

Books:

• Thriving in Business: Strategies for the LGBTQ+ Entrepreneur.  Perfect for any business-minded LGBTQ+ person and the people who love them.  Written by 14 successful LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs, published by an all-queer publishing house, and the first of its kind. 
•  
• Faust.  A graphic novel series of the old tale with a new queer twist.  Queer author, illustrator, and $5 from every copy goes to Pride and Joy Foundation! 
• For the Love: A self-discovery journal.  Written and signed by Pride and Joy founder, Elena Joy, this journal gives you prompts to discover parts of yourself you never knew were there.  A great book for parents and kids to go through together and discuss, or for adults to do on their own.  
• Our Gay History in...

I recently met Elena through a coaching program we are both in and I immediately knew I wanted to ask her to come on the show.  She has an incredible story that she shares so generously.  And her message is of the utmost importance.

- Sara Dean

Pride and Joy Foundation founder, Elena Joy Thurston recently had a chat with Sara Dean on The Shameless Mom Academy podcast. In the episode entitled, 'Living Out Loud After Enduring Life-Threatening Conversion Therapy', Elena Joy shared her about coming out and ultimately owning her sexuality.

Listen in to hear Elena Joy talk to Sara Dean about: 

1. Her journey through marriage in the Mormon church, to growing a family of 4 children, to realizing she had built a life that was not true to who she was

2. Her experience of coming out as a lesbian as a Mormon mom of 4

3. How Mormonism encouraged Elena to disconnect from her body

4. How she was able to give up control over her body and actually step into her...