10 • queensjournal.ca
Business, Science, & Technology
Monday, July 31, 2023
‘More than a store’: Alphabet Mafia builds queer joy in Kingston Store serves as a resource to queer community in Kingston Violetta Zeitlinger Fontana Business, Science, & Technology Editor First opened as a storefront in the spring of 2022, Alphabet Mafia, is now a bustling resource hub and safe space for the queer community. Located at 342 Princess St. in downtown Kingston, Alphabet Mafia sells queer-centric merchandise, while focusing on queer education, sharing local resources, and building community. “There was an opportunity for a space to get folks together, have a place to be able to give back to the community, and find things that represent them,” said Rae Loggie, ArtSci ’21, and Alphabet Mafia team leader, in an interview with The Journal. Alphabet Mafia was born as a joint effort after its founders were looking to create a space for themselves to feel comfortable, Loggie said. Since then, Alphabet Mafia has grown to hold space for many others, including queer folks, allies, and “soon-to-be allies,” a term Loggie uses to refer to people who may not be very knowledgeable about queer issues, but are willing to askquestions and learn. “We get a lot of folks who are in the area who are questioning their identity, or maybe their placement in the queer community,” Loggie said.
While this is something many queer spaces expect when opening their doors, Loggie shared the community engagement has been incredible. “Besides just being in the storefront, we do a lot of resource work behind the scenes,” Loggie said. “It’s really powerful to have a space where people can come in and talk to allies, or queer folk themselves, and ask questions about proper language and queer spaces.” Given their platform, Loggie and their team frequently refer community members to established resources in the Queen’s and Kingston communities. For many, accessing resources without this guidance can be a challenge, particularly when considering the need for intersectionality. From trans healthcare, to support groups, Loggie mentioned often referring community members to the Trans Joy Club, Trellis, The Yellow House, and the Sexual Health and Resource Centre (SHRC). “Being intersectional means constantly [being] in a position of learning. Not only educating yourself but realizing your own bias.” From the international student body at Queen’s to the bustling tourist scene the summer season brings to Kingston, Loggie commented on the unity celebrating Pride brings. “The pure joy on a lot of their faces—that’s not tangible in a business sense, but I think those things are far more important.” In their journey as a small business, Loggie says the support from the City of Kingston has been important when
Law Newbie democratizes answers to legal queries
Queen’s law grad supported research and development Asbah Ahmad Editor in Chief
Technology is changing the legal landscape, and Lawyer Jordan Donich is working to streamline answers to basic legal questions. Though it isn’t legal advice or substitute for a lawyer, Law Newbie is a legal chatbox software that Donich developed by licensing the underlying chatbox software and making changes to the user interface. Law Newbie is designed to democratize access to basic criminal and civil legal questions that might be asked by a client looking to connect with a lawyer. During the development process of Law Newbie, Donich hired Sarah MacDonald, Law ’20, as a summer research student. She worked extensively with other law students at the time to train the chatbot with researched information. “There’s not a lot of innovation [in the legal profession]. It’s scary as a lawyer because you don’t want to get sued. You’re taking a risk,” Donich said in an interview with The Journal. “[Law Newbie] is bridging the gap between people who don’t have a lawyer and people who need a lawyer. It’s a lot of answers to questions. That doesn’t require as much of an analysis,” MacDonald said in an interview with The Journal. Most technology in the legal profession is currently aimed at allowing lawyers to efficiently practice law. Donich’s site works to create an interface for clients who are
looking for guidance on which questions to ask a legal professional. Accessibility in law is important for those who might not be able to afford legal services and need direction, explained MacDonald. Having access to accurate and reliable information also allows people to save precious time when dealing with legal problems. “I worked at a legal clinic when I was at Queen’s. We were able to help people with those questions. But there’s a certain income cap where you’re able to qualify for those services,” MacDonald said. Future development of legal chatboxes means the potential for development across many areas of law. This would help broaden the scope of the types of issues clients can receive support for. “The way I see it, is that it could encourage other law firms who have different practice areas to develop similar tools. If you need advice about a will, an estate matter, or corporate issue [...] other types of firms could utilize it,” MacDonald said. As it stands, Donich remains involved with the programming of Law Newbie. He still works to program the chatbot to answer new and evolving queries. He said the most common query is asking for legal advice, which he shuts down. With changing technology, legislation and regulations are catching up. Now well out of law school, MacDonald said her experience in a technology law club at Queen’s was important, along with the case studies related to technology taught in courses. This is part of a broader trend at better integrating technology and legal education across the board according to Donich.
Alphabet Mafia is located at 342 Princess St.
discussing intersectional queer issues. This is especially critical when considering Kingston’s colonial past. “The City has been so welcoming, not only listening to our recommendations for better general spaces, but things such as the inclusion of more gender neutral bathrooms, or keeping the [Pride-themed] crosswalks in place all year round.” Alphabet Mafia faced some challenges, with a few instances of people entering the store and spewing hurtful remarks or defacing store property with harmful symbols. Despite this, Loggie remains extremely positive and grateful for the Alphabet Mafia community, sharing the outpour of love the store receives following difficult instances such as these. “Even when we do have those little incidents of hate or misinformation, it’s always received back with 20 times more love, and a willingness to learn more,” Loggie said.
ILLUSTRATION BY VIOLETTA ZEITLINGER FONTANA
The store is hoping to host more community events, such as craft events and story times. Loggie hopes for the events to be family-oriented, where people can come together and listen to different queer voices. Alphabet Mafia is hoping to collaborate with local businesses, clubs, and organizations to host, sponsor, or promote these events in the future. As a Queen’s history grad, Loggie holds Kingston close to their heart and hopes the community honours Kingston’s diverse history as they continue to implement initiatives in the future. “It’s really powerful to have a space like Alphabet Mafia where people who aren’t even sure if they’re a part of our rainbow community yet can hang out and enjoy different aspects of queer culture. I think it’s so beautiful.” Loggie encourages anyone interested in connecting with Alphabet Mafia to do so via email, social media, or in-person at the store.
Kingston invests in young entrepreneurs
Kingston providing up to $3,000 for student entrepreneurs Nay Chi Htwe Contributor
Government funding is enabling student entrepreneurs to innovate in diverse fields. Since 2001, the City of Kingston has provided young entrepreneurs aged 15 to 29 with grants up to $3,000 with funding from the Ontario government. Besides funding, the program provides mentorship opportunities, enabling participants to work closely with local entrepreneurs. This year, four of the 10 participants are Queen’s University students: Eric Colonna, Mason Rice, Roman Mironov, and Owen McDowell. The Journal had the opportunity to sit down for interviews with the four participants. Eric Colonna, Comm ’23, is the founder of Pick 6 Athletics, a business he started in the summer of 2020. Colonna first generated a following by posting workout drills and football tips on Instagram. Using his experience as a defensive back on the Queen’s football team, Colonna hopes to make high-level coaching accessible to young defensive backs. Besides content creation, another way Colonna utilized business technology was through Wix, a website provider he used to create a site and mobile application which offers additional workout resources. A piece of advice he would give to future entrepreneurs is to avoid paralysis by analysis and to start their business as soon
as possible. Colonna emphasized the importance of a supportive environment, reflecting on the times his family and peers helped him film content. Mason Rice, Sci ’27, started Rice Photography, which reflects his passion for tinkering with video and film production and specializes in creating short films. As part of the program, Rice hopes to expand his business under the mentorship of local social media marketing company, James Media. As an incoming first-year student, Rice looks forward to meeting new people and hopes to take Instagram pictures for first years during special events like Homecoming. Rice identified consistency as a key trait entrepreneurs should strive for. Despite his upcoming engineering course load, he’s still going to try to find free time to keep filming videos. Once in university, Rice hopes to shoot videos for sports teams, like football and rugby. As of now, Rice has shot an advertisement for the Kingston Yacht Club, as well as for Roman Mironov, Comm ’25, a fellow participant of the 2023 Summer Company Program. Mironov founded 199 Media, a consulting company specializing in digital advertising for businesses. Mironov’s marketing experience started early—he helped his mother’s e-commerce business by making posters on Canva before branching out into social media advertising. To read the full story, visit queensjournal.ca/