18 LGBTQ+ Artists To Support During Pride Month & All Year Long
Capitalism loves Pride Month — a whole month to target content/products at a group of specific buyers? Perfect. It’s commonplace for big brands to produce products tied to Pride during the month of June. They’re more corporate cash grabs than companies actually showing support in any real activist kind of way, but usually it’s better than nothing… until now. This year, several products in Target’s Pride line, which featured several LGBTQ+ artists, were partially or fully pulled from in person and online stores before Pride month even started. It was the brand’s response to violent, extremist, homophonic rhetoric. In May, some outraged customers took to destroying displays and posting scathing content online about the alleged indoctrination of our children via cute, rainbow-filled clothing and books about acceptance.
Target said they wanted to ensure employee safety, so several stores responded by moving Pride collections to the backs of stores, taking certain products off the shelves, and in some cases not allowing their sales online either. Protecting their employees is important, but allowing the loud, angry, bigoted actions of a few to win was the wrong move in my opinion. Standing in support of the artists who collaborated with them — and their LGBTQ+ customers — would have been the way to go. They could have hired security guards or something to prevent future attacks, but they should not have caved to outside pressure to pull these items from shelves.
Since Target was too weak to stand up for our community, I put together this list of a few LGBTQ+ artists we can all support this month for Pride – and in the future, since the LGBTQ+ community needs support all year round. Shopping won’t save us from dangerous anti-LGBTQ+ laws or bigoted politics, but it can help show Target that they were wrong to take these items away and that we won’t be bullied. We will support our LGBTQ+ community this month and all months.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of artists, and I encourage you to look out for local artisans in your own backyards as well. I also included several of the Target-partnered LGBTQ+ artists since they unfairly may have lost business during this controversy. Additionally, even if you’re not gay, many of these artists create pieces that everyone can enjoy. Happy shopping!
Humberto Cruz
An artist out of San Diego, Cruz specializes in bright, cheerful art that you can buy as prints to make your whole room happier.
Courtney Peppernell
As a longtime poetry fan, I’ve always loved Peppernell’s work. It’s beautiful and thought-provoking and you won’t leave the same having read it.
Jenifer Prince
Prince specializes in vintage-style art and sells work on everything from stickers to T-shirts.
Ash + Chess
This trans couple dared to write a children’s book about decontructing gender, and people lost their damn minds. You can buy the book here and check out their website for prints, stickers, and more.
Peyton McElvy
Founder of The Free Spirits Art, McElvy makes jewelry, paintings, and more.
JZD
JZD is a queer Latina-owned lifestyle brand that sells apparel, accessories, and more.
Shay Alexi
Another poet I can’t get enough of is Shay Alexi, whose work has gone viral on TikTok in the past. Alexi’s newest poetry book is just a few months old. Buy it here.
Kelcy Timmons Chan
Chan creates fun graphic design prints that you can get on posters, bags, socks and more. I’m always partial to anything breakfast-themed, and Chan delivers on that front as well.
Jordan N. DeLoach
On Twitter, DeLoach calls themselves a “radical troublemaker, lovegiver, and survivor.” They’re also an amazing artist. See their available prints here.
beccaamac
From cute stickers to fun T-shirts, beccaamac creates both queer-specific and just generally of-the-moment products.
Stitchguy
This artist sells both physical embroidery and prints of their work. The pieces are reminders of the beauty of love.
Alexander Jace Kelly
This trans artist has a store called Sweet Cowboy Blues. It’s filled with trendy items that spell out important messages. We’ll have no misgendering in this saloon, indeed.
Katie Kaapcke
If you’re looking for new home decor, check out Katie Kaapcke’s art prints. Her work explores “queerness, gender, and mental illness” through these gorgeous, abstract paintings.
Bones K Leopard
This “yeet the teets” pin is iconic, as is the rest of Bones K Leopard’s store.
South Street Art Mart
This queer-run market features a variety of LGBTQ+ artists making everything from stickers and pins to clothing and books.
Abprallen
Abprallen is one of the brands Target removed following backlash, but you can still support the artist via their merch website.
HUMANKIND
I always prefer to buy swimwear with a little more coverage, and that’s exactly what this gender-inclusive clothing brand offers. Whatever your comfort level, they’ve got your back.
Transfigure Print Co.
This shop is trans and queer owned and sells stickers, shirts, and more. I particularly loved the message of this sticker. We will be ourselves anyway‚ this Pride Month and forever.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
