When it comes to gifting an LGBTQIA+ member, it’s all about spreading love and understanding. It’s not that different from gifting a straight person, but there are a few extra considerations you need to take into account to ensure everything goes smoothly.
Whether you’re looking for a gift for Pride Month, a birthday, or a holiday, we got you covered! We’ve listed gift ideas that range from rainbow-themed items to unique gifts that can give back to the community.
But before we dive into our amazing gift suggestions, let’s first go over some tips you need to remember to be able to choose the best gift for your queer bestie!
Tips for Choosing the Best Gift for LGBTQIA+ Members
Educate yourself
Familiarize yourself with LGBTQIA+ culture, symbols, and history. This will help you choose a gift that is meaningful and relevant.
Researching about the community will also help you avoid harmful and problematic actions that can strain your relationship with an LGBTQIA+ member.
Respect their identity
Each LGBTQIA+ member has their own identity that’s unique even to those who share the same sexuality and gender as them. Recognizing this can help you choose a gift that’s personal and special to them.
Recognizing their individuality also helps you avoid subscribing to harmful stereotypes that some people associate with the members of the community.
Support LGBTQIA+ businesses and artists and those businesses that give back to the community
Supporting LGBTQIA+ businesses and artists and businesses that give back to the community empowers not just your queer friends but the community as a whole.
Avoid buying from businesses that are actively showing animosity towards the members of the community. This can be offensive, as it can be seen as a support for their beliefs.
12 Gift Ideas for Your Queer Friends
Scented Candles
Scented candles are both decorative and functional, making them great gifts for anyone, including members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
They have a soothing and calming effect that can evoke specific moods and emotions. They give the recipient a chance to create an ambiance that matches their mood and enhances their overall well-being.
Scented candles are also economical gifts. They provide so many benefits for a small price, making them perfect for people who are on a budget.
Not only are scented candles fragrant and relaxing, but they can also fancy up a room.
Most scented candle manufacturers take into consideration the overall look of the candles, from the packaging to the color of the wax, to make them more aesthetically pleasing.
Personalized Gift Box
A personalized gift box is a thoughtful gift that can be tailored to the giftee’s preferences. It shows that you know their tastes, interests, and preferences, making the gift more meaningful and special.
Fill it with the things your queer friend loves, like their favorite snacks, favorite drinks, favorite scents, and favorite toys. Doing this can make the box a one-of-a-kind gift that your friend will appreciate.
A personalized gift box also adds an element of surprise to the whole gift. You’ll have your friends wondering and anticipating what else you put in the box.
Love That Story: Observations from a Gorgeously Queer Life
If your queer friend enjoys reading and is interested in memoir books, Jonathan Van Ness’s Love That Story: Observations from a Gorgeously Queer Life would be a great gift.
The book is a collection of heartfelt and well-written essays diving into the author’s struggles as a queer person, his journey to overcoming body image issues, and his experience living with HIV.
It can provide a sense of representation and validation for your queer friend who probably faced challenges related to their sexuality and identity. Reading the book can also make them feel understood and less alone.
That said, we highly suggest reading the book yourself first to check if the content aligns with your friend’s values and sensibilities. Some topics may be triggering, so it’s always best to be careful.
Rainbow Neon Sign
Rainbow has long been used as a representation of the LGBTQIA+ community. Gilbert Baker adopted the seven colors of the rainbow and added a pink stripe to make the community’s first flag.
Due to several production issues, the flag was modified and became a six-color flag. It represents the diversity of the LGBTQIA+ community and the respect the members have for everyone, regardless of their sexuality and gender.
A rainbow neon sign can be a great gift to show a queer friend that you respect and support their identity, sexuality, and gender. Not to mention, it’s fashionable!
The sign can also brighten your friend’s home and give it a pop of color. It can remind your friend of your support and love every time they come home.
Makeup Products
Makeup products are traditionally designed for women to uphold the beauty standards society imposes on them. But wanting to be beautiful and confident is a universal feeling that everyone—women, men, and anyone in between—has!
For some queer individuals who may face societal pressures or challenges related to their identity makeup can serve as a means of self-care and empowerment. Gifting them makeup encourages them to express themselves in a way they’re comfortable in.
Additionally, makeup can give them the confidence to celebrate their identity and break society-imposed norms and systems.
That said, not everyone is interested in or uses makeup, so it’s best to consider your friend’s personal preferences. While makeup comes with great symbolism, it’s essential that you respect their choices.
Tool Box
In a viral TikTok video by Marc Sebastian, he talks about how he has this “homosexual audacity” that makes him believe he can do anything even without prior experience or knowledge of it.
Truthfully, he isn’t completely wrong, and thousands of queer folks have responded with similar videos of them taking on a craft for the first time. Many of our queer friends do believe they can do well in whatever they set their mind to!
As such, a toolbox can be a great gift for a queer friend. It shows your support for this “homosexual audacity” and empowers them to take on tasks and projects that can be helpful in their daily lives.
While construction and repairs are traditionally assigned to men, times have changed. Besides, broken furniture, creaking floorboards, failed wall fixing, and other issues to everyone, not just straight men.
However, it’s still important to consider if your friend has an interest in construction and repair tools.
Pride Pins
Pride pins are small, wearable symbols that many queer people wear to embrace their sexuality and gender and to let others know about their identity. They allow queer folks to proudly express their identity and add to their confidence.
Gifting a pride pin to a friend shows your allyship to them and the entire community. Knowing that their loved ones support them and fully respect their identity is one of the best gifts you can give them.
The pins come in a wide variety of designs, shapes, and colors. Each gender and sexuality in the community also has its own flag, so look for your friend’s specific flag when buying a pin for them.
Here they are for your reference:
Polaroid Camera
Photos are tangible reminders of our memories and experiences. They’re physical keepsakes that can make us reminisce and relive our happiest moments.
That’s why a Polaroid camera is always a fool-proof gift. It helps the giftee capture memories they want to remember forever and get an instant photo of that moment.
Photos from Polaroid cameras also have a distinct and timeless aesthetic that makes them extremely popular. They give a nostalgic charm that you won’t get from phone cameras.
Your queer friend can take the camera to a Pride Parade or any LGBTQIA+ event and take photos with other queer folks in the event. These photos will serve as a reminder of the joy of being true to one’s self and embracing one’s identity.
Theater or Concert Tickets
The theater industry is one of the few industries where there are more queer people than straight. This is probably also one of the reasons why almost everyone who has worked in the industry has been told “theater is gay” at least once during their career.
In theater, the lines between masculinity and femininity are blurry, and everyone is open to trying new things, attracting more queer people to join in. They also get to express themselves better through art.
As such, gifting theater tickets to your queer friend gives them a chance to have fun. Research the plays happening in your area and bring your friend to one of them.
If there are no plays near you, you can also go to a concert or music festival. You can both have fun, enjoy the music, and socialize with other fans in the arena.
Novelty Queer Mugs
Two things a lot of queer people love are a good sense of humor and novelty items. With a cute mug, you can incorporate both of these things.
On the mug, you can print a funny text or a funny movie scene that you know your friend will love. Don’t go for the usual rainbow design because the chances are they already have them.
A novelty mug can make them laugh and smile every time they see it, so it’s a great way to start their day with. Try considering some funny quotes from known gay icons or some Internet memes, and you’ll have them laughing.
Just be sure that the quote, meme, or movie scene you’ll print won’t be offensive to them!
Coffee Maker
Coffee’s charm goes beyond gender and sexuality, so a coffee maker will be a great gift for anyone, including your queer friends.
If your friend is a huge fan of coffee, a coffee maker is a practical gift that will allow them to conveniently satisfy their caffeine cravings. Considering how much the gays love coffee, especially iced coffee, you might just become their favorite friend with this gift.
It will also help them save money since coffee can be very expensive. By having their own coffee maker, they can make the coffee of their preference for a fraction of the price they’ll pay at a coffee shop.
You can also give them coffee beans together with the coffee maker to make the gift more special. Equator Coffee has some of the best-tasting coffee beans out there, and they’re queer-owned too!
Wine
Has your friend come out recently? Celebrate them for their bravery!
What better way to celebrate than to pull out a wine, right? Coming out can be an anxiety-inducing experience, and a drink or two might help ease their nerves.
But drink in moderation, of course, and find out your friend’s preference first. Red, white, sparkling, or rosé—there’s plenty to choose from.
