What is a Certified Queer-Affirming Business™?
A Certified Queer-Affirming Business™ has been trained and certified by the Affirming Business Institute in the queer-affirming practices of their specific industry.
Anyone can say they're LGBTQ+ friendly, but a Certified Queer-Affirming Business™ sought out training built for their industry and earned a certificate to prove it, so queer people don't have to walk in prepared to explain themselves or teach the business how to support them.
Every course is taught by a queer expert who works in the field, and certification requires passing an assessment. Businesses re-certify every two years to ensure their training reflects the most current language and best practices as culture and industry change.
A Certified Queer-Affirming barber looks like...
Someone who is trained on affirming language, pricing, and styling. Someone who won't impose gender-centric opinions on what kind of hair you want.
A Certified Queer-Affirming therapist looks like...
Someone who has done the work to understand how complicated family situations affect queer people and can mentor you through how to navigate them.
A Certified Queer-Affirming wedding photographer looks like...
Someone who is trained on how to capture and tell the story of queer love instead of imposing heteronormative and cisgendered norms onto your photos.
A Certified Queer-Affirming personal trainer looks like...
Someone who can not only help you achieve your goals, but who has gone through training on how to support people recovering from gender-affirming surgery.
A Certified Queer-Affirming wedding vendor looks like...
Someone who not only supports your love, but also knows how to authentically celebrate and can show up for you and your partner through every moment of your wedding.
This directory is one of a kind.
You can't buy your way into the Affirming Business Directory, and you can't simply claim that you're inclusive or queer-owned and be listed.
Every business in this directory has earned their place by taking the initiative to learn from an expert in the queer community on how the intersection of queerness and their work impacts how they will support their queer clients.
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To get listed, get certified today.
FAQs
Some good questions (and their answers)
You can trust it because it isn't self-reported and it isn't something a business can simply buy. Every certified business has completed a real, industry-specific course, taught by a queer expert working in that exact field, and passed an assessment proving they can actually apply what they learned, not just watch a few videos. Certification also has an expiration date, so businesses have to re-certify every two years to stay current as queer language and community norms keep evolving. Ours is the only one out there that's tied to completed training, a passed assessment, and an ongoing recertification cycle you can actually verify.
Directories of queer-owned businesses don't differentiate between those who have done the work and those who simply identify as queer. Every single business in the Affirming Business Directory has gone through rigorous training built by a queer expert in their field on how support queer clients in their business. A Certified Queer-Affirming Business isn’t one that simply claims to be queer-owned or allied, this badge means that they have been trained on how to be queer-affirming in every interaction.
Every business is different and approaches their work differently. While we can't guarantee any specific experience with a business, we can guarantee that every business who is officially certified through ABI has received industry-specific training, was taught by a queer expert in their field, and passed every assessment required to earn their certification. We still recommend vetting businesses to see if they're the right fit for you, knowing that their ABI training gives them a foundation that most businesses simply don't have.
The Affirming Business Directory at affirmingbusinesses.com is a searchable directory of certified queer-affirming businesses across the USA. You can search by industry and location to find LGBTQ+ inclusive businesses near you.
Go to affirmingbusinessinstitute.com to see all of our courses and sign up!
We are working to expand our certification programs every day! If you'd like to vote on what program we develop next, please vote here. Additionally, you can follow us at @affirmingbusinesses on Instagram and join our mailing list to stay up to date on what we're up to.
ABI's mission is to connect queer people with businesses who are not only welcoming, but educated, proactive, and accountable in providing equitable service while raising the standard for what affirming care looks like across the industry.