Pride 2023: Waggel x MindOut

For many of us at Waggel, Pride is something that we don’t just celebrate in the workplace but in our personal lives. This year we want to use our platform for real, positive change. We believe companies can do more with their power and influence than changing their logo to a rainbow hue so have created a Pride x Waggel t-shirt to raise money for MindOut, a mental health service run by and for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people.

MindOut work hard to improve the mental health and well-being of all LGBTQ+ communities by making mental health a community concern. Though they’re currently based in Brighton and Hove, they offer global online support services to anyone in need. Their services include:

• Advice and information

• Advocacy

• Peer support groups

• Peer mentoring

• Trans and gender-diverse support groups

• Suicide prevention

• Counselling

• Training and awareness workshops

MindOut exists because LGBTQ+ people do not get the support they need for their mental health from mainstream services. They often feel isolated and face additional discrimination, exclusion and minority stress.

MindOut realises that LGBTQ+ people deserve a space in which their identities are recognised and understood. Their vision is to one day live in a world where the mental health of LGBTQ+ communities is not only a priority but stigma-free, respected and recognised. At Waggel, this is a vision we also share.

Though MindOut became an independent charity in 2011, their origins stem back to 1998 when Brighton and Hove LGBT Switchboard approached Mind to start discussions about how to highlight the mental health needs of Brighton's LGBT communities. Shortly after, MindOut was born. To this day, MindOut continues to be staffed by LGBTQ workers and volunteers.

To support MindOut and maximise our efforts to promote Pride throughout the month of June, we’ve worked exclusively with illustrator Gareth Brown, to create a t-shirt that symbolises everything we’re about, equality, unity, and pets, of course. We’ll be selling these shirts via Everpress and donating 100% of sales directly to MindOut so they can continue providing life-changing support for those in the LGBTQ+ community.

Everpress offer a genuine alternative to the wastefulness of conventional retail by supporting independent creatives and simplifying the production process. Simply put, they work on a pre-order model which means that only the ordered number of tees are made. Fewer tees made mean fewer tees wasted. Pre-ordering saves deadstock from landfill and helps independents create exactly what they need. As of 2023, Everpress are now B-Corp certified which further cements their status as climate conscious and people-friendly.

Using Everpress to print, sell, and distribute our t-shirts allows us to remain as ethical as possible in our charity work. Not only are they actively promoting LGBTQ+ tees for the entire month of June but they also provide an entire toolset to help us sell, manufacture, and distribute our shirts meaning once you order you’ll receive confirmation and updates about the shipping process.

Pride has, and always will be, a celebration. It’s also an opportunity to empower and support LGBTQ+ individuals and wider communities. Though this support should, of course, be extended all year round, June is a significant month in queer history and serves as a reminder of where the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement began; with the 1969 Stonewall riots.

Today, Pride allows us to come together and show our visible support and acceptance for all, no matter their identity. At Waggel, we couldn’t be prouder of the people who make us who we are and hope you join us in our stance of solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community not only in June but every single day of the year.

To celebrate with us, buy your exclusive Waggel x Pride shirt here for a limited time only.