{"id":20183783,"date":"2025-08-27T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.metrosiliconvalley.com\/?p=20183783"},"modified":"2025-08-27T03:23:40","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T10:23:40","slug":"local-queer-business-stands-up-for-silicon-valley-pride","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metrosiliconvalley.com\/local-queer-business-stands-up-for-silicon-valley-pride\/","title":{"rendered":"Still Here and Still Proud"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Even in progressive strongholds like California, signs of a nationwide retreat from Pride visibility are surfacing. In early June, Target stores in the Bay Area noticeably reduced their Pride-themed displays compared to previous years, echoing a company-wide decision to limit merchandise placements after facing backlash in 2023, according to The Mercury News<\/em>. A similar quieting is happening online; many national brands with a local footprint, including Levi\u2019s and The North Face, opted for toned-down Pride messaging this year or skipped it altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As corporations retreat from Pride, \u201crainbow capitalism\u201d is fading, leaving queer-owned businesses and grassroots organizers to carry the visibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

South Bay baker Rachel Turkal also isn\u2019t backing down. At her pop-up bakery booth, a colorful sign advertising a rainbow-swirled Rice Krispy treat called \u201cThe Gay Agenda\u201d draws both chuckles and raised eyebrows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fruity and a bit salty,\u201d Turkal says with a smile. \u201cIt lets people know we\u2019re here, we\u2019re queer, and there\u2019s nothing you can do.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkal, owner of Browned Butter Babe Co.<\/em>, launched her San Jose-based cottage bakery in 2022 after rediscovering her love of baking during the pandemic. She first started selling publicly at the Lynbrook High School craft fair and now maintains a steady rotation of pop-ups through SJ Made, the Italian Family Festa at History Park, and custom orders\u2014all while proudly flying Pride flags at her booth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally from California but raised on the East Coast, Turkal said her journey from PTA bake sales to full-time business owner was gradual but organic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cWhen my son was in elementary school, I\u2019d bring baked goods to parent meetings and people came just for that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What sets her apart is not just the browned butter flavor profiles or playful marketing, it\u2019s the unapologetically queer identity infused into the business. Turkal named her signature rainbow treat \u201cThe Gay Agenda\u201d as a way to \u201cacknowledge people for who they are.\u201d Although it was meant to be a seasonal item, she kept it year-round due to its popularity and symbolism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice to see people come up to the booth and laugh because they feel seen,\u201d she said. \u201cHumor is a great icebreaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, visibility comes with risks. Turkal recalls a tense encounter with an anti-LGBTQ+ group at a food festival and said some passersby refuse to approach her booth because of the Pride symbols. Aside from the occasional disinterested passerby or pushback from a few religious groups, Turkal says the response to her business has been overwhelmingly positive: something she credits to living in a region with a long-standing reputation for LGBTQ+ inclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHonestly, it\u2019s scary,\u201d she said. \u201cI feel insulated and lucky to live here, but the way things have gone in mainstream culture is reminiscent of Nazi Germany. We see how the current administration is othering trans people, and it\u2019s abhorrent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite this, Turkal finds encouragement in her connections through the Silicon Valley Rainbow Chamber of Commerce, which has helped generate orders and year-round catering partnerships. \u201cYou come for Pride Month, then you stay,\u201d she said of corporate clients who discovered her through the chamber\u2019s LGBTQ+ business directory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Turkal and her wife, who helps run the business, Browned Butter Babe<\/em> is a vehicle for community, visibility, and joy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As corporations retreat from Pride, \u201crainbow capitalism\u201d is fading, leaving queer-owned businesses to carry the visibility.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14789,"featured_media":20183786,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_expiration-date-status":"","_expiration-date":0,"_expiration-date-type":"","_expiration-date-categories":[],"_expiration-date-options":[]},"categories":[1490,1686],"tags":[410,5475],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n