By Gordon Edgar–
Years ago, when Rainbow Grocery Cooperative first decided to close on Pride Sunday to honor the struggle of LGBTQIA+, a right-wing radio host cold-called the store. Hoping to gotcha whoever answered the phone, the host was surprised when a queer worker told them that the workers of the store had voted on the action. “You aren’t against democracy, are you?” asked our worker/owner.
As a member of a workplace democracy writing this column for the whole cooperative, I think the best way I can honor Pride is to let my coworkers speak about how Rainbow Grocery is important to them and their queer identities.
A lot of my coworkers mentioned the difference between Rainbow and other places where they have worked. Kennedy, an office worker, wrote, “When I was first hired in May 2011, I wanted Saturday off to attend the Dyke March and some of the more senior workers rallied to make sure it was covered. I had only a month and half of employment under my belt but immediately felt the support as a queer person and felt like my identity was validated and valued.”
“I feel grateful and empowered that Rainbow has allowed me to continuously align my choices with my own personal values on equity, inclusion, and social justice,” says Michelle, who started in January 2024. “I am a queer woman, and both of those things have presented challenges over the years while also giving me a great appreciation for institutions that exist in order to give us back our power.”
John, a member of our Cashier Coordinating Committee, says, “One of the things that I was the most excited about when I first started working at Rainbow was knowing that I was going to be working in a safe, supportive environment for queer folks and as a non-binary queer person that’s really important to me because I refuse to work anywhere that doesn’t acknowledge and respect who I am and other members of my community.”
Others mentioned Rainbow openly celebrating Pride and other historically under-recognized holidays, which creates a better atmosphere, not just for workers, but also for everyone who enters the store.
Jose, a member of our Storewide Steering Committee, wrote, “In my previous job before I started working at Rainbow, pretty often I felt unsafe and unsupported by my coworkers or the customers. I was working in a deli in the financial district. Almost every day, we had the same customers. Among them there were three who were kind of hostile, demanding, and somewhat unfriendly. When I started working here at Rainbow, I bumped into them and when I rang them up, at different times, they all were nicer and more friendly. This told me that sometimes it is the people, but many times is the atmosphere and the culture of the place (that matters).”
“The banners during June are important because it communicates to our workers and shoppers that LGBTQIA+ people are welcome here. We now have our ‘Protect Trans People’ banner up year-round. During an incredibly scary time, it’s important for us to be loud about our support of Trans people in our community,” points out Kennedy.
Lastly, in this time of increased attacks on queer, working class, and immigrant communities, the importance of an institution like Rainbow commemorating the need to fight back against those who would try to make us disappear can provide much needed moral support.
“Even San Francisco is not immune to queer phobia, and several months ago I experienced an incident while I was working at Rainbow of harassment (by customers) that was worse than any I’d ever previously experienced in my life,” says John. “I was so grateful to be in a place where, when it happened, my colleagues rallied around me and kept me safe and ejected the hateful bigots. This would not have been the case in other places I have worked at, and having Rainbow in solidarity and closed during Pride is also important because it acknowledges our community and that the fight for equality and freedom is far from over, and that Pride is still a protest!”
Most of all, Rainbow tries to create a living example that the way things are is not the way they have to be. We don’t always succeed, but the moments where it works are beautiful. “As a queer person, since the moment that I started working at Rainbow I felt welcome and safe,” says Jose. “Most of my coworkers and customers have built this community that somehow makes everyone feel supported.”
Gordon Edgar loves cheese and worker co-ops and has been combining these infatuations as the cheese buyer for Rainbow Grocery Cooperative since 1994. He serves on the American Cheese Society Judging and Competition Committee and is a member of the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers. Edgar has written two books on cheese—”Cheesemonger” (2010) and “Cheddar” (2015)—and lives in San Francisco with his adorable white mini schnauzer named Fillmore Grumble. He writes about grief, and sometimes cheese, at https://bit.ly/42IwYf0
Over the Rainbow Cheese Counter
Published on June 12, 2025
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