Queer Chocolatier Is Queer to Stay
Today, the Human Rights Campaign and SHOWTIME announced their awardees for the 2022 Queer to Stay LGBTQ+ Business Preservation Initiative and Queer Chocolatier was named as one of the 25 recipients for this year!
Honestly, I'm in shock and I'm moved to feel such support.
The last couple of years during the pandemic has left me ragged, insecure, and not trusting myself in the ways I used to be. I've second-guessed every decision I've made in the last couple of years because lots of things haven't turned out my way for the business. It's funny, though, that we don't question our decisions when things go right…
The questioning itself isn't bad, I find it healthy, but it has been a bad streak of challenges that feel insurmountable.
It has always been difficult for me to discern whether something is hard because running a business is just tough or is something hard because it isn't meant to be and I'm being given a signal that this isn't the path to go down.
The thing is, I believe in myself. I believe in Queer Chocolatier. I believe in other craft chocolate businesses fighting against the ubiquity of Big Chocolate. I believe in queer businesses and queer spaces and queer community and queer empowerment. I believe in all these things more than ever.
But I have been worn down in this journey.
Being uplifted by this recognition matters a great deal to me and it is my hope that I can breathe new life into Queer Chocolatier with this award in hand!
I wish to continue serving you, supporting and caring for you, and being with you for as long as I can and for as long as you'll have me.
It is my hope that I can remain Queer to Stay for a long, long time!
Please consider my truffles for your holiday gift-giving this year and allow me to earn your business and trust! I'm not always the fastest at producing these days with the addition of a full-time job that is an hour-commute away. But I am absolutely eager to provide you with my unapologetically indulgent chocolate and share with you my experiences of running this business.
Thank you for being here for me and being a part of this journey of craft chocolate and queerness!