Pride Beyond June: Rainbow Registered Businesses in Downtown Kingston
Kingston Pride Parade 2025
Although it is officially Pride Month, it’s important to recognize pride and curate welcoming spaces for the 2SLGBTQ+ community beyond June. Creating a safe and inclusive space for customers, visitors, and staff alike starts at the foundation of a business and branches out into goods and services provided.
What is the Rainbow Registry?
The Rainbow Registry is a nationally recognized accreditation program developed by the Canadian Queer Chamber of Commerce (CQCC) and Tourism HR Canada with the support of the federal government. In short, the Rainbow Registered Program aims to recognize market ready businesses and organizations that are receptive to 2SLGBTQ+ customers.
The program is informed by National Guidelines and defines the required standards of practice. After application, accreditation is awarded following formal assessment and having successfully met the required standards. Accreditation demonstrates commitment and consistent effort in providing customer satisfaction through progressive policies and practices.
Accreditation is time-limited; organizations will be registered for a three-year window with annual renewal before re-evaluation is required.
Why get involved?
When a business is Rainbow Registered, it goes beyond checking the box for inclusivity and shows an ongoing commitment to an inclusive organization. When an organization becomes registered, they get listed in the national directory, and gain access to the rainbow registered logo for marketing use. Further, organizations get access to CQCC’s National Associate member benefits and receive invitations to exclusive events and networking opportunities. Overall, being registered strengthens a connection to the 2SLGBTQ+ customer, staff, and visitor bases.
Currently, there are 13 rainbow registered businesses in the downtown core, all of which can be found on the Rainbow Registry’s map here.
How can my organization get registered?
The Rainbow Registry Application process is outlined in their step-by-step guide book here. Submitting an application does not guarantee accreditation, as the assessment stage that follows determines if the organization has met, partially met, or does not meet the criteria to be registered.
For more general information, check out their website here, or to sign up, click here.
If you’re interested in more that the CQCC does, they also offer training workshops aimed at providing business and organizations with an overview of terminology, what allyship looks like, and suggested policies and practices for an inclusive workplace. Find more information here.
Blog written by Aimee Latendresse