What Role Does the LGBTQIA+ Community Play in the Printing Industry?

Onlywomen Press

Founded: 1974

Location: London, UK

Ownership: Founded by lesbians

Printing type: Printing press and publishing house

Specialism: Lesbian and feminist books and pamphlets

Website: http://onlywomenpress.com/

Hanley Print Services

Founded: 2014

Location: Stoke-on-Trent, UK

Ownership: Gay owned

Printing type: Printing press

Specialism: Large format printing and laser print

Website: http://www.hanley-print.co.uk/

Transfigure Print Co.

Founded: 2017

Location: Michigan, USA

Ownership: Founded by a transman

Printing type: Screen printing

Specialism: LGBT+ activism clothing

Website: https://transfigureprintco.com

A 2013 report by the American Marketing Association found that LGBT purchasing power is estimated to be in excess of $835 billion (or £593 billion), so really it’s a no brainer to make your business a safe space for those within the LGBTQIA+ community! Learn more here: https://www.quirks.com/articles/how-to-engage-lgbt-consumers-in-marketing-communications

According to a the National LGBT Survey carried out by the government in 2017, 61% of respondents identified as gay or lesbian, 26% as bisexual, and 7% identified as other LGBTQIA+ sexualities. Additionally, 13% identified as transgender and 6.9% as nonbinary. Learn more here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-lgbt-survey-summary-report/national-lgbt-survey-summary-report

These figures will be ever increasing as more and more people feel safe coming out so we thought that our first blog of Pride Month was the perfect opportunity to learn about what role the LGBTQIA+ community has in the print industry.

LGBTQIA+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and allies/asexual/agender. The plus (+) allows space for further marginalised gender identities and sexualities. Learn more here: https://www.stonewall.org.uk/help-advice/faqs-and-glossary/glossary-terms

We’ll be focusing on printing presses that specialise in LGBTQIA+ printing and publications that generate content specifically for the LGBTQIA+ community.