A queer-owned café and shop in San Antonio has found a reason to celebrate this holiday season thanks to an unexpected grant from the Human Rights Campaign.
Over the summer, the Lemon Girls applied for HRC’s Queer to Stay grant, an initiative started during the pandemic with the intention of helping LGBTQ+ businesses stay afloat. As the months dragged on without any word, the business, which specializes in lemonade, juices, and coffee, faced financial challenges that ultimately led the owners to post a plea on social media.
“The Lemon Girls has been more than just a queer Latina-owned business — it’s been a space for connection, joy, and belonging for our LGBTQ+ family and the Woodlawn Lake community,” reads aFacebook post dated December 10. “But now, we’re at a crossroads. Like so many small businesses, we’re feeling the weight of rising costs and challenges beyond our control. And we can’t keep going without you.”
Their request was simple — all they wanted was for customers to come by, spread the word, and consider the shop if they needed a space to host an event.
But a week later, a different kind of help arrived. Owners and married couple Maxine and Desirée Cofino learned that the Lemon Girls was one of 30 LGBTQ+ businesses around the U.S. that had been selected as recipients of this year’s Queer to Stay grant.
“LGBTQ+ people deserve welcoming, safe spaces that are owned and run by us,”said a statement from Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson. “As extremist politicians continue to try and take away our rights and push us back into the closet, these businesses stand as a shining reminder that when LGBTQ+ businesses thrive, America thrives.”
LGBTQ-owned businesses contribute an estimated $1.7 billion to the U.S. economy every year, according to the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Yet a 2022 report from Movement Advancement Projectfound that LGBTQ+ businesses are rejected for funding at a higher rate than non-LGBTQ+ businesses.
And that’s where assistance from initiatives like Queer to Stay can really make a difference — especially for younger businesses like the Lemon Girls.
Although the shop has only existed in its current iteration since last year, the Cofinos spent the two years building their brand at local farmers’ markets.
“We’ve always been trying to get a store. This is actually the seventh attempt at a store,” Maxine toldMySanAntonio.com in June 2023. “I think the sense of community here is what makes a difference.”
Even with the HRC grant, they’re still counting on that community to keep showing up.
“As a small business, we rely on the continued support of our community to keep growing and serving,” they wrote onInstagram. “Thank you for believing in us — let’s keep this momentum going together.”
The full list of businesses benefiting from this year’s Queer to Stay grant can be found on HRC’s website.
