The State of LGBTQ+ Business in Australia
Desk research and interviews on LGBTIQA+ business ownership and its place in Australian procurement, co designed with the LGBTIQA+ Advisory Board and published free with its method and data.
Stories, research and resources
The economic life of LGBTIQA+ people, businesses and communities.
Pride in Business publishes analysis, research and practical guidance on LGBTIQA+ business ownership, procurement, employment and finance, for business owners, employers, buyers and research partners. Its work includes The State of LGBTQ+ Business in Australia and a resource guide to the chambers, certifiers and networks that support LGBTIQA+ owned businesses on five continents.
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Stories
All storiesLatest stories
ExplainerWriting a buying brief before asking for a supplier list
Organisations that want to buy from LGBTIQA+ owned businesses often begin by asking for a list of suppliers. This explainer sets out what a buyer should write down first, so that a business can tell quickly whether the work suits it, and includes a template to copy.
ExplainerHow supplier diversity works in Australia and why the rules differ by buyer
Supplier diversity in Australia is a set of separate arrangements for Indigenous, social enterprise, women owned and disability suppliers, each with different rules and different force. This explainer sets out how each one works, what gives a category weight with buyers, and where LGBTIQA+ owned businesses currently sit.
ExplainerSocial procurement: how it differs from donations, sponsorship and supplier diversity
Social procurement adds a social outcome to an ordinary purchase. This explainer sets out the direct and indirect routes, how social procurement differs from donations, sponsorship and supplier diversity, and why purchasing from LGBTIQA+ owned businesses may go unrecorded.
Resource guide
The full resource guideLGBTIQA+ certifiers and business networks, by country
LGBTIQA+ organisationNot LGBTIQA+ specific
LGBTIQA+ certifier
LGBTIQA+ organisationNew South WalesNone in Australia
No Australian body certifies LGBTIQA+ owned businesses. What Australian buyers recognise is the subject of our first research project.
Pride Business Association
Sydney based not for profit network for LGBTIQA+ business owners, professionals and allies, founded in 1981 as the Gay Business Association. Runs networking events and the Buy Rainbow fair.
LGBTIQA+ organisationQueenslandPride Business Network
Brisbane based LGBTIQA+ business network for South East Queensland, running networking events, with membership from $99 a year.
LGBTIQA+ organisationVictoriaGLOBE Victoria
Victorian LGBTIQA+ community and business network with events through the year.
Australian certifiers for other groups
Not LGBTIQA+ specificAustralia wide
Social Traders
Certifies social enterprises and connects them with business and government buyers who commit to spend.
Just Gold, which publishes Pride in Business, is a Social Traders certified social enterprise.
Not LGBTIQA+ specificAustralia wideSupply Nation
Verifies Indigenous owned businesses and runs Indigenous Business Direct, the national directory used by buyers.
Not LGBTIQA+ specificAustralia wideWEConnect International
Certifies businesses at least 51 per cent owned, managed and controlled by women, as part of a global network.
Australia certifies Indigenous owned businesses, social enterprises and women owned businesses, but not LGBTIQA+ owned businesses. How Supply Nation and Social Traders certification works. All Australian resources, by state.
LGBTIQA+ organisationUnited Kingdom
OutBritain LGBTBE Certification
Certifies businesses physically located in the United Kingdom and at least 51 per cent owned and operated by LGBT people as LGBT Business Enterprises (LGBTBE).
LGBTIQA+ organisationUnited KingdomOutBritain Listings
Lists businesses on the OutBritain directory across the United Kingdom, browsable by industry category and by nation or region.
LGBTIQA+ organisationUnited States
NGLCC
The United States chamber that certifies LGBTQ+ owned businesses through its LGBTBE certification.
LGBTIQA+ organisationUnited States and GlobalNGLCC Affiliate Chambers and NGLCC Global
Lists NGLCC's affiliate chambers across the United States and its NGLCC Global network abroad; joining a local affiliate waives NGLCC certification fees.
LGBTIQA+ organisationCanada
Canadian Queer Chamber of Commerce
Certifies LGBTQ+ owned businesses in Canada within the Supplier Diversity Alliance Canada.
LGBTIQA+ organisationCanadaCQCC Global Trade Missions
Runs trade missions taking Canadian 2SLGBTQI+ businesses to international markets, with networking, business matchmaking and supplier diversity sessions, most recently in London and Madrid.
LGBTIQA+ organisationEurope
European LGBTIQ Chamber of Commerce (EGLCC)
Runs a unified LGBTIQ business certification for continental Europe, a Europe wide database of LGBTIQ suppliers and a network of six member chambers.
LGBTIQA+ organisationScandinaviaScandinavian LGBT Chamber of Commerce (SGLCC)
Stockholm based chamber that certifies LGBT businesses for procurement in Scandinavia and runs networking events, training and advice for corporate members.
LGBTIQA+ organisationBelgium, Netherlands and LuxembourgBeNeLux LGBTIQ+ Business Chamber (BGLBC)
Offers free membership to LGBTIQ+ entrepreneurs in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg and validates LGBTIQ+ owned and operated businesses through EGLCC.
LGBTIQA+ organisationCentral and Eastern EuropeEast meets West
Acts as the LGBTIQ business chamber for Central and Eastern Europe, with a professional network, an annual conference and EGLCC supplier registration.
LGBTIQA+ organisationItalyEDGE, LGBTI+ Leaders for Change
Italian association of LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs, managers and professionals working on workplace inclusion through research, projects and the annual Leaders for Change event.
LGBTIQA+ organisationGermanyGerman LGBTIQ+ Business Chamber (GGLBC)
Promotes supplier diversity in Germany, offering LGBTIQ+ businesses free registration through EGLCC and connections with multinational companies.
LGBTIQA+ organisationEuropeEGLCC Proud Supplier List and Corporate Partnerships
Offers procurement teams a curated, annually updated Proud Supplier List of LGBTIQ owned suppliers in Europe, plus corporate partnership tiers.
LGBTIQA+ organisationIndia
Samavesh Chamber of Commerce: SAMARTH Supplier Diversity Program
Certifies businesses in India that are at least 51 per cent LGBTIQ+ owned, operated and controlled, and connects corporate buyers with certified suppliers.
LGBTIQA+ organisationPhilippinesPhilippine LGBT Chamber of Commerce
Connects LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs, professionals, corporations and allies in the Philippines through membership, business events, learning programmes and corporate inclusion programmes.
LGBTIQA+ organisationSingaporeQ Chamber
Singapore's LGBTQ+ and allied chamber of commerce, running leadership talks, networking events and Q Mentors, and compiling a directory of member businesses.
LGBTIQA+ organisationBrazil
Câmara de Comércio e Turismo LGBT do Brasil
Nonprofit association in Brazil that connects professionals and companies with the LGBT community, accredits businesses and independent professionals, and promotes events.
LGBTIQA+ organisationMexicoFederación Mexicana de Empresarios LGBT+
Mexican nonprofit federation whose Empresa Diversa programme links LGBT+ entrepreneurs and business owners with clients, suppliers, a B2B directory and corporate agreements.
Working across countries
LGBTIQA+ organisationGlobal
IGLTA, International LGBTQ+ Travel Association
Global membership association for travel businesses that welcome the LGBTQ+ community, offering events, use of the IGLTA logo, an annual convention and marketing opportunities.
LGBTIQA+ organisationGlobalStartOut Founders Program
Supports LGBTQ+ founders worldwide through membership with six month mentor matching, expert office hours, an investor portal and the Growth Lab accelerator.
Descriptions use each organisation’s own terms. Pride in Business is not affiliated with these organisations and listing is not an endorsement. Countries appear once the guide holds a verified entry for them.
Research and Projects
All projectsWhat Pride in Business is building
Chambers, certifiers and networks
131 organisations in Australia and on four other continents that support LGBTIQA+ owned businesses and the buyers who work with them, each checked against its own website.
LGBTIQA+ Advisory Board
Expressions of interest close on 6 December 2026. The board will co design the Australian research and advise Just Gold on its LGBTIQA+ work.
Supplier diversity
How certification worksWhere LGBTIQA+ owned businesses can be certified
United States
NGLCC
Certifies businesses that are majority owned, operated and controlled by LGBT people as LGBT Business Enterprises, after an application and a site visit.
Canada
Canadian Queer Chamber of Commerce
Certifies LGBTQ+ owned suppliers, recognised within Supplier Diversity Alliance Canada alongside the councils for other diverse suppliers.
United Kingdom
OutBritain
Certifies UK businesses at least 51 per cent owned and operated by LGBT people as LGBT Business Enterprises.
Continental Europe
EGLCC
A single LGBTIQ business certification for continental Europe, with a Europe wide supplier database and member chambers in several countries.
Scandinavia
SGLCC
A Stockholm based chamber that certifies LGBT businesses for procurement in Scandinavia.
India
Samavesh Chamber of Commerce
Its SAMARTH program certifies businesses at least 51 per cent LGBTIQ+ owned, operated and controlled.
Australia
No certifier
No Australian body certifies LGBTIQA+ owned businesses. What Australian buyers recognise is the subject of our first research project.
Sources: each certifier’s own website. United States and Canada checked 19 September 2026; other countries checked November 2026. Descriptions use each organisation’s own terms. How certification works in the United States and Canada.
Practical guidance
All explainersGuidance that applies anywhere, with a note for your country
Example: writing a buying brief
- Start with one purchase that has an owner. A real requirement, and a person with the authority and budget to move it forward.
- Describe the outcome before the supplier. Scope, location, timing and a budget range, with essential requirements separated from preferences.
- State what evidence of ownership you accept. What it is used for, and who will see it.
- Keep the response proportionate. Payment terms and onboarding steps belong in the brief.
- Record what happens after. Introductions, bids, awards and paid contracts, counted separately.
Where government buyers advertise
The Australian Government publishes its opportunities on AusTender, with digital and ICT work on BuyICT. Each state and territory runs its own system, including NSW eTendering, QTenders, the Buying for Victoria Supplier Portal and Tenders WA.
Public sector buyers publish procurement notices on Find a Tender, mainly for high value contracts, and suppliers register there to bid.
Source: UK Government, Find a Tender.
Federal procurement notices, including solicitations and awards, are published on SAM.gov Contract Opportunities, run by the US General Services Administration. Account holders can save searches and set alerts.
Source: SAM.gov.
CanadaBuys lists tender and award notices from federal departments and some other public bodies, and sends notifications to registered businesses.
Source: CanadaBuys.
TED, run by the Publications Office of the European Union, publishes public procurement notices from the EU, the EEA and beyond, with alerts for registered users.
Research partners, sponsors and employers
Organisations can support the research, sponsor coverage without influencing it, or work with us on evidence for their own purchasing and workplaces. Our editorial principles apply to every partnership.
Merch with Pride
Pride in Business products that help fund the work, and Pride merchandise for businesses, teams and events, carrying your own logo with approved designs. Coming soon
Who is behind it
About Just GoldFunded and published by Just Gold, with research review by the Aurum Foundation
Just Gold
Australia’s first certified social enterprise management consultancy and creative agency, Autistic and LGBTIQA+ owned and led. Pride in Business is part of its impact program. Just Gold funds and publishes the work, with no subscriptions to purchase and no paid placements. It builds on Just Gold’s earlier LGBTIQA+ work, from Think Pride to the 2019 Pride Program. Where this work comes from.
Aurum Foundation
A registered charity, separate from Just Gold, that supports equity work commercial models do not fund. The Aurum Foundation is the research review partner and provides expert review and intersectional analysis.
