Walking around Kingston, you may spot rainbow-shaped decals on businesses’ windows. These decals are evidence of the businesses’ commitment to setting strict standards to ensure all members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community feel welcomed and accepted. They are Rainbow Registered, an accreditation program initiated by the CGLCC, Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce.
To become Rainbow Registered and receive the decal, businesses must go through an accreditation process which involves an application, assessment, and final report. Successful applicants will then receive the rainbow-shaped decal and begin paying an annual fee.
The accreditation is valid for three years, at which point the business needs to go through the process again to maintain their Rainbow Registered status.
These Kingston establishments went through the multi-step process to become Rainbow Registered and shared what the accreditation means to them. For a full list of Rainbow Registered businesses and organizations in Kingston, check out our Rainbow Registered guide.
A few Rainbow Registered businesses in Kingston to visit:
270 Bagot Street
When Kingston Gaming Nexus opened its doors at its original location on Wellington Street in 1999, owner Michael Wibberley committed himself to fostering a welcoming environment for all gamers.
He learned about queer issues from employees who are members of the community. He hosts monthly 2SLGBTQI+ board game nights. He placed comics and games made by queer authors at the front and centre of his store, hoping that customers within and outside the community would engage with the material.
“[Those comics and games] are for everyone. We don’t just want 2SLGBTQI+ people to read them. We want the people who need to be educated to read them,” Wibberley says in an interview.
When a 2SLGBTQI+ staff member approached Wibberley about the Rainbow Registered accreditation, he saw it as a way to reinforce Kingston Gaming Nexus’s commitment to supporting the community.
“It’s a statement of intent. If you come into the store, you will not be judged, no matter who you are. People are just people,” Wibberley says. “The store’s tagline is ‘The only thing we don’t tolerate is intolerance.’”
For Wibberley, embodying what the decal represents involves listening to the needs of their diverse customer base, including 2SLGBTQI+ members, and adapting their business to make them feel comfortable. He recently started selling pronoun buttons and encourages staff to use they/them when greeting customers.
Kingston Gaming Nexus is hosting a queer board game night on June 26 from 6 to 9 pm and pride-themed trading card events on June 20, 5–9 pm and June 27, 6–9 pm.
787 Blackburn Mews
Over the past 13 years, this spa in Kingston’s west end has created a welcoming, affirming environment for all clients and staff.
Their gender-neutral booking forms, inclusive language training, and staff talks with members of the trans community are just some of the reasons why Cher-Mère was granted their Rainbow Registered accreditation.
“We don’t just talk about inclusivity in June. It’s something we live every day,” says Cher-Mère general manager Emily Roantree.
Roantree describes a time when a member of the trans community approached Cher-Mère at the Brock Street Block Party where partial proceeds went to TransFamily Kingston and asked if they provide services to 2SLGBTQI+ members. Spa owner Aba Mortley’s answer was simple.
“She responded by saying, “Of course we do. Of course we’ll take care of you,” says Roantree.
For Pride Month, the spa is donating a portion of their earnings to TransFamily Kingston, which provides drop-in programming and community events for trans and gender-diverse children in the city. Every month, the spa picks a charity to donate to, demonstrating their commitment to fostering inclusivity in Kingston. They’re also donating a portion of their proceeds this month to Kingston Native Centre & Language Nest to celebrate Indigenous History Month.
Keep an eye on their social media accounts (chermere_spa) for a video featuring local community members answering the question, “What does Pride mean to you?”
221 Queen Street
This modern hotel, housed in a former church, became Rainbow Registered shortly after opening its doors in 2022.
The hotel offers a unique experience by operating without a traditional front desk. Still, the team wants to ensure that if any guests ever need to reach out, they feel safe, respected, and valued, no matter their sexual orientation, says Allyson Tonelli, the hotel’s director of sales and partnerships.
“And we at The Smith Hotel do a yearly meeting where we go over all of the things that we've learned through the process and make sure that our staff... are aware of the program,” says Tonelli.
Their newly opened sister property, Belvedere Hotel, will also be going through the process of Rainbow Registry.
To celebrate Pride, The Smith donates $5 per room night to Kingston Pride and matches the total donation. They also host performers brought in for the parade, offering welcome gifts and messages to make them feel at home during their stay.
Pan Chancho: 44 Princess Street
Chez Piggy: 68 Princess Street
Long before Pan Chancho and Chez Piggy began the process of becoming Rainbow Registered, the family-owned pantry shop and fine dining establishment, respectively, fostered a safe and welcoming space for queer peoples, explained owner Zoe Yanovsky. Their effort to cultivate such an environment began when Yanovksy’s parents—Rose Richardson and Zal Yanovsky—opened Chez Piggy and Pan Chancho 40 years ago.
“We have always been committed to being kind to all. It’s just who my parents were and how I was raised,” Yanovksy said in an interview with Visit Kingston.
The Rainbow Registered accreditation provided Pan Chancho and Chez Piggy with visual evidence of their longstanding commitment to supporting queer staff and patrons. To further celebrate Pride, Pan Chancho sells rainbow cookies, and staff often wear Pride merchandise in June.
“It is important that people know how they’re going to be treated, and that people in our workforce know they will be welcomed. It’s important that customers and staff know that the management and the ownership are committed to them as people,” Yanovsky said.
Black Dog Hospitality Restaurants
Atomica: 71 Brock Street
Black Dog: 69 Brock Street
Dianne’s: 195 Ontario Street
Harper’s: 93 Princess Street
Owner of Black Dog Hospitality Tim Pater found out about the Rainbow Registry at a Canadian Queer Chamber of Commerce (CQCC) event in Kingston in 2022 and began the accreditation process soon after. All the Black Dog restaurants are now Rainbow Registered.
While each of the Black Dog restaurants offer patrons different types of cuisines—with Atomica serving pastas, pizzas, and a plant-based menu, Black Dog dishing up steakhouse/brasserie classics, Dianne’swhere the East Coast meets Mexico, and Harper’s plating burgers and fries (and recently BBQ)—they’re all united by the Rainbow Registry.
“The Rainbow Registered accreditation embodied the real spirit of inclusivity that we live by at Black Dog. It’s the way we’ve operated forever,” Pater said in an interview with Tourism Kingston.
In addition to becoming Rainbow Registered, Black Dog continuously trains their staff on fostering a safe and welcoming environment for queer patrons and has gender neutral washrooms in their restaurants when possible.
Throughout the month of June, each of the Black Dog restaurants are offering Pride themed drinks, with a percentage of the proceeds going to Trellis HIV & Community Care. The full list of drinks include:
Atomica: Peach Please (vanilla vodka, peach schnapps, cream, orange, and simple syrup)
Black Dog: Watermelon Kiki (watermelon Absolut vodka, Galliano, watermelon puree, lime, prosecco sidecar)
Dianne’s: Pink Pony Club (Malibu, pineapple, cranberry, lime, 7Up)
Harper’s: Glitter & Gold (pink lemonade vodka, raspberry vodka, lemon, mango, simple syrup, soda, edible glitter)
560 King Street West
Kingston Pen Tours—offering guided walkthroughs of the Kingston Penitentiary, the largest, former maximum-security prison in Canada—became Rainbow Registered to ensure both staff and patrons feel comfortable on their tours.
“We’re a very popular location in Kingston and many people want to come visit the Pen. So, we want to encourage people to come, but we also want people to feel welcome and comfortable when they are here,” Greg Gouthro, manager of Kingston Pen Tours, said in an interview with Tourism Kingston.
As well as providing staff with training and implementing policies that support queer peoples, Kingston Pen Tours remains committed to inclusive storytelling on their tours. Tour guides deliver the history of the Pen in a neutral and respectful way and understand that patrons’ identities inform their perspectives on carceral history.
“We get people from every country, all ages, walks of life, which is wonderful. And we are aware that corrections can be a very sensitive topic for a lot of people who come here. So, we present the information neutrally and allow customers to formulate their own opinions,” Gouthro said.
Fort Henry is another attraction in Kingston that is Rainbow Registered and the Fort Henry guards often participate in the Kingston Pride parade taking place on June 13.
To learn more about the Rainbow Registry and for a full list of Kingston establishments that are Rainbow Registered, read Rainbow Registered: Maintaining a Welcoming Space for Queer People in Kingston.
