10 LGBTQ+-owned brands to support this month and every month

Just like the LGBTQIA+ community, Pride contains multitudes, and cannathusiasm is definitely among them. Cannabis and Pride go way back, woven beside each other in a counterculture tapestry generations in the making. Now, the future of America is queer, proud, and stoned to the absolute bone.

But big gay stoner or not, celebrating queer canna-culture is a way all cannasuiers can express allyship this month. Pride is celebration, but it's foremost a protest.

Maintain that energy by skipping the corporate rainbow washing and instead using this month as an excuse to discover LGBTQIA+ cannabis growers, artisans, and crafters you can support all year long.

Open Apothecary is a boutique dedicated to alternative cannabinoid lifestyle products with a bit of esoteric whimsy. It has zodiac pre-rolls in glittery designer tubes, luxurious bath bombs, full-spectrum serums steeped in crystals, and deeply therapeutic balms.

The vibe is femme-forward without being exclusionary and the brand's energy is community-centered, offering sliding scale pricing. A capitalist boomer could never, no matter how queer.

Not only is Brown Sugar Botanicals queer-led and -founded, the founders also take care to source the materials for their herbal blends, tinctures, and soothing balms from queer-owned farms and growers.

The herbal blends can be steeped or puffed, and the topicals are both soothing and relieving. All of its cannabis, as well as its botanicals, are organic.

There is tremendous crossover between queer, veteran, and Black cannathusiast communities. Georgia-based topical brand Atlanta Sauce Co. was founded at the intersection of all three. This skincare company is straightforwardly therapeutic, but is also committed to a kind of holistic luxury, with sugar scrubs, silky lotions, balms, and even an all-natural hair growth spray.

Queer-owned and formulated, Blunt Skincare features three rejuvenating facial oils, each made with either full or broad spectrum cannabis derived ingredients.

The brand's feather light facial oils are phenomenal, but my personal favorite is the Moonrock oil, a sunshine-colored serum that leaves my skin rosy and refreshed.

Bonus "Power-of-Pride-Consumerism" anecdote: I discovered this brand during Pride 2020 and my queer stoner skin responded so positively that I never looked back. However you identify, your results may vary.

Unlike for heteros, sex education for LGBTQIA+ kids isn't offered in school, which makes sexual health such an important part of adult queer life. A lot of us have some serious catching up to do.

Thankfully, queer-led brands like Noir Leaf are working to destigmatize queer sex with topical and smokable cannabinoids for relaxation, intimacy, and sex. Noir Leaf's shop features pre-rolls, CBD sexual lubricants and massage oils, and even a collection of (sapphic AF) erotic toys.

Of all the dispensaries in Portland, Oregon, Green Box stands apart. It's Black, queer, and veteran-owned, and is a smartly curated online dispensary with a super prompt delivery service attached. Whether you're a PDX local or just visiting Rose City, Green Box is an excellent place to score a few medibles, pre-rolls, curated strains, or even necessary accessories without having to navigate an overwhelming or crowded dispensary.

Placing sexual health at the forefront is the MO of Pleasure Peaks, a luxury CBD brand that effortlessly walks the line between boudoir opulence and cannabinoid therapy. The brand includes bath salts, bio-specific capsules, lube, tinctures, and even suppositories.

An assortment of cannabis-themed sex toys and accessories — and even a few novelty gifts like a baseball hat embroidered with "bisexual" — round out the shop, but the main attraction is inarguably the medicated topicals.

The best stone zones always have a few different varieties of smoking accessories. If your own zone is lacking, peruse the creative pipes and bongs handmade by Farbod Ceramics. From statement-making, artistically glazed coffee table ritual vases (AKA bongs) to kitschy fruit and vegetable shaped pipes, Farbod's pieces are notable works of stoner art that deserve a place in every stoned home, regardless of how you identify.

For allied stoners local to or just visiting Austin, Texas, BIPOC-, queer-, and female-led Mary Jae is the shop to visit. The store offers dispensary items like flower, edibles, tinctures, and topicals, along with lifestyle items and accessories. More than that, it's also a safe and inclusive space for everyone who shares a love and curiosity around cannabis, offering social club opportunities to network and kiki with other like-minded Austinites.

For the unapologetically femme stoner who wouldn't dare be seen dragging plain beige doinks to and from their glossy lips, Cushy Cones are a vibrant, colorful, celebratory alternative to everyday paper-bag-brown cones.

Available in punchy prints, stylish hues, and even dressy metallics for date night tokes, each Cushy Cone is made from 100% all-natural materials with coloring made from edible, plant-based, & flavorless soy oils.