Our Story

Queen On The Scene's Vendor Tent in 2018 at Twin Cities Pride Festival in Minneapolis, MN.Pins With Purpose

Queen On The Scene was born in 2017 after I attended my first large pride festival and had a horrible experience with a vendor. It was my introduction to Rainbow Capitalism.

I was PUMPED to find some rainbow gear (after all it’s pride right...who doesn’t want to be a glitter bomb)! 

I found the coolest pair of rainbow net hand accessories (like the one’s Madonna rocked in the 80’s) and I was PUMPED! 

As I checked out, I asked the person working if they were local and they promptly said ‘no.’ I said I liked their shop and the person working said, ‘thanks - pride festivals are good money makers for me.’ I couldn’t believe what I just heard! 

I should have stopped there, but I asked if their partner helped them run it (b/c it looks like a LOT of work and setup). They responded with a snarl, ‘we’re not gay.’ 

My heart sank. I left the booth feeling like I had been tricked. While I respect the fact that people can do business wherever and for whomever, I wanted better options for our beloved LGBT community.

I thought to myself how our community deserves businesses who can do better. And so, I started one (above is a picture of my first vending event in the Twin Cities).

That’s when I decided to start ‘Queen On The Scene’ around 3 values: 

  1. Promote visibility within our LGBTQIA+ community.
  2. Unapologetically create pins with the purpose of empowerment.
  3. Fiercely give back to non-profits and organizations who support the community.

We create 100% custom, authentic pins and gear for LGBT by LGBT. Pride for us happens year round, not just during the month of June. 

We also are obsessed with giving back. All purchases help us to offer custom pins (free or at cost) to our community individuals and LGBT-non profit organizations seeking fundraising opportunities. 

Thank you for supporting our mission!
Quinn w/ Queen