Everywhere is Queer, founded by Charlie Sprinkman, is linking people to LGBTQ+ owned businesses with a new mobile app, making finding local community more accessible.
There are now over 11,850 pins on the app’s map, 2,000 of which were added after its release in late February, according to Sprinkman.
“Every business that applies, I’m just like, ‘Yes! Another business for a queer or trans person to just feel seen as their true authentic self,’” Sprinkman said. “It just makes my heart happy.”
Everywhere Is Queer began in 2022 after Sprinkman was inspired by his frustrations searching for LGBTQ+ friendly locations when traveling, as well as his time volunteering at Brave Trails, a LGBTQ+ youth camp. Today, they hope the map helps others have an easier time finding places to visit.
“As someone from rural America, if I’m back in my small town of 10,000 people and there’s just one pin, even if it’s an online business, if it’s a queer, trans person, or ally that exists in that space, it’s like, ‘Oh, cool, there’s another queer person in the city.’” Sprinkman said. “End of sentence. I’m not alone.”
For some, locating LGBTQ+ friendly businesses and community groups can be a matter of safety. Establishing an accepting space was a priority for Elsie Acevedo and Chris Slivar, owners of Deluxe Screen Printing in Los Angeles. Printing since 2008, they’ve learned that some customers feel more comfortable coming to them instead of others in the male-dominated industry.
“The comments that we’ve got back are that [customers] were intimidated by the men, or the men were not as friendly and the service to women was different. And then especially, you know, for other queer or trans folks out there, [they] didn’t feel comfortable,” Slivar said. “So we have provided a safe environment, and we have been really lucky to be able to serve our community in that way.”
One experience that impacted the co-owners was helping a customer who felt he’d been treated differently as a trans man in another shop. For Acevedo, it proved why inclusive businesses are a necessity for the community.
“He said that the minute he walked in, he just felt that the energy was not safe, not good,” Acevedo said. “He just decided to just get out of there as soon as he could. And that’s to me, that’s why I think it’s important, because we want people to feel comfortable and safe when they walk in the door.”
One industry where inclusivity is especially important has been on the Everywhere Is Queer map since the beginning: real estate. L.A. real estate agent Sammy Lyon added themselves the map earlier this year, joining over 270 other real estate professionals.
“I’m not necessarily like, ‘Oh, I’m a queer realtor,’ in all my marketing, but anyone who knows me in my life knows I’m queer, and it ends up being pretty word of mouth,” Lyon said. “There are people who are specifically looking for a queer realtor.”
Along with having a place to connect with customers, Lyon was excited for the app to be a conversation starter between business owners looking to strengthen their community, something they’ve found harder after COVID-19.
“It’s like any other kind of media that’s intended to connect folks with really thinking about how to build the queer community in your own city. Because frankly, it’s hard,” Lyon said.
In efforts to make the map more accessible, Sprinkman worked with LA-based developer Chris Redrich to create the new mobile app. This included creating safety measures like requiring people to sign up for an account before accessing the map.
“It is 2024, technology exists, people will do whatever they want to get whatever resource they want. And that’s really sad,” Sprinkman said. “But it’s 2024. I’m not letting sad people stop us from building this amazing resource. We’ve connected millions of queer and trans and allied individuals with safe spaces, so we’re not stopping.”
Sprinkman released the app after seven months of development on February 20. After all the work involved in the process, Sprinkman said the feedback they’ve gotten from the new businesses and customers who’ve used the app to connect have been incredibly rewarding.
“I’ve had so many people, hundreds of people, message me and be like, ‘It’s working, people are finding me,’ Sprinkman said. “The messages of, ‘I was able to invite my trans nephew out to visit me in small town, Bend, Oregon and take him to all trans-affirming spaces.’ Those messages are always worth it.”