Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 31, 2026

This Privacy Policy (the “Policy”) explains how Affirming Business Institute (“ABI,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, protects, and shares information when you use our certification courses at affirmingbusinessinstitute.com; our public directory of Certified Queer-Affirming Businesses, the Affirming Business Directory, at affirmingbusinesses.com; and any related services (together, the “Platform”).

ABI provides education and certification for businesses seeking to serve LGBTQ+ clients, and operates the Affirming Business Directory, a public directory through which consumers can find certified queer-affirming businesses. Certain information processed in connection with the Platform is sensitive, including information that may reveal or permit inferences about an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity, and including the searches consumers run in the directory. ABI applies heightened handling practices to such information, as described in Section 5.

This Policy covers information ABI collects through the Platform. It does not cover information you may provide to ABI by other means, such as by phone, at an event, or in person, or information handled by third parties under their own policies. You can browse the Affirming Business Directory without creating an account.

Notice Regarding Sensitive Inferences

ABI operates an LGBTQ+-focused platform and relies on third-party service providers, including its course platform and, where applicable, an analytics provider, to deliver the Platform. Information regarding your activity is processed by those providers. As a result, your use of the Platform, or your enrollment in a particular course, may permit a third party to infer information about your identity.

ABI does not control the systems, configurations, or inference practices of third-party providers and third parties generally. Accordingly, ABI does not represent or warrant that your use of the Platform cannot be used to infer sensitive information about you, and disclaims any such representation. ABI’s obligations are limited to its own conduct, as described in this Policy. No online service can guarantee that activity data will not support inferences about a user, and users for whom such inferences present a safety risk should consider that limitation before using the Platform.

This Policy applies to everyone who uses the Platform, whether you are a business owner taking a course, a certified business listed in our directory, or a visitor browsing the directory. This Policy is a notice that describes ABI’s information practices. By creating an account or using the Platform, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Policy. Where ABI relies on your consent for specific processing, such as sensitive information (Section 5) or a public directory listing (Section 6), ABI asks for that consent separately. Your agreement to use the Platform is governed by our separate Terms of Service. If you have questions, contact us using the details in the Contact section below.

1. Information We Collect

Information you give us

  • Account and contact information: your name, email address, and (optionally) phone number and mailing address.
  • Business information: your business name, industry, location, and details you choose to include in a directory listing.
  • Course and assessment data: your progress, responses, and assessment results.
  • Payment information: handled by our payment processor. We do not store full card numbers on our systems (see Section 4).
  • Communications: messages you send us and your support requests.

Information we collect automatically

When you use the Platform, we may automatically collect technical information such as browser type, language preference, referring site, device, operating system, IP address, internet service provider, and the date, time, and pages of your visit. We use cookies and similar technologies for this (see Section 8).

We do not require you to tell us your sexual orientation or gender identity to use the Platform. Getting certified as “queer-affirming” is a statement about your business practices. It is not a disclosure of your personal identity, and an ally can be affirming without being LGBTQ+.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

  • Provide the Platform, your courses, certification, and directory listing;
  • Process payments and deliver what you purchased;
  • Communicate with you about your account, orders, and support requests;
  • Send you marketing about our services, only if you have opted in, and you can opt out at any time;
  • Improve the Platform and keep it secure, including preventing fraud and abuse; and
  • Meet our legal and tax obligations.

Where a legal basis is required (for example for visitors from certain jurisdictions), we rely on your consent , the performance of a contract with you, and our legitimate interests in operating and improving the Platform.

ABI does not use your information to make automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects concerning you. ABI does not control whether its service providers apply automated processing within their own systems.

3. How We Share Your Information

ABI does not sell your personal information, and does not share information that identifies you with third parties for their own advertising, in each case as those terms are defined under applicable law. ABI discloses information only as follows:

  • Service providers who help us run the Platform. These include our course and hosting platform (Graphy), our payment processor (Stripe), our email provider (Wix or Google Workspace), and Google Analytics (via Google Tag Manager), which helps us understand how our course site is used. These tools set cookies and receive technical information about your visit, such as the pages you view; ABI does not control how Google processes this data within its own systems. Our course site and the Affirming Business Directory are hosted separately, and the analytics on our course site does not track your searches or activity in the directory.
  • Directory listings: if you choose to be listed, the information in your listing is shown publicly (see Section 6).
  • Legal and safety reasons: to comply with law, respond to lawful requests, enforce our agreements, or protect the rights, safety, and property of our users, our community, or ABI.
  • Business transfers: if ABI is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, information may transfer as part of that transaction, subject to this Policy.

4. Payments

Payments are processed by our third-party payment processor. When you pay, your card details go directly to the processor’s systems. ABI does not store, process, or transmit full payment card numbers. We recommend reviewing the processor’s own privacy notice for how it handles your payment information.

5. Sensitive Information & SOGI Data

Certain information processed in connection with the Platform is sensitive, including information that reveals or may be used to infer an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity (“SOGI data”), as well as passwords, financial account information, and comparable categories. ABI applies the following measures to such information:

  • We never require you to disclose your sexual orientation or gender identity to use ABI;
  • We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share information that identifies you with third parties for their advertising;
  • If you choose to be listed in the public directory, we ask for your consent before publishing your listing; and
  • We limit who within ABI can access sensitive information.

The measures above describe ABI’s own practices. Where a third-party service provider is involved, ABI selects and configures services with these measures in view but does not control those providers’ systems or practices. See Notice Regarding Sensitive Inferences above.

6. The Public Directory

Certified businesses may elect to appear in the ABI public directory. A directory listing is public by design and may be indexed by search engines. A listing may therefore create a durable, publicly searchable association between a business, and potentially its owner, and queer affirmation. ABI cannot remove a listing from third-party search indexes or archives once it has been indexed.

Listing is optional and subject to the following:

  • We obtain your separate, documented consent before publishing any listing.
  • Listings are public. A directory listing is displayed publicly and may be indexed by search engines. To request removal of your listing, contact ABI at hello@affirmingbusinesses.com.
  • You may update or request removal of your listing at any time by contacting ABI. ABI maintains the directory manually and will process removals as promptly as it reasonably can, but does not guarantee removal by any particular date.

Consent language presented at certification: “I consent to the listing of my business name, location, industry, and certification status in the ABI public directory. I understand that this listing is public, may be indexed by search engines, and may remain in third-party search results or archives after removal from the Platform. I may request removal at any time.”

7. How Long We Keep Your Information

We keep your information for as long as it is reasonably needed to provide the Platform, operate our business, and meet our legal, tax, and recordkeeping obligations. When we no longer need your information, we delete or de-identify it. Some records, such as certification and payment records, are kept longer where the law requires or where they are needed to establish or defend legal claims.

8. Cookies & Tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate the Platform, remember your preferences, keep you logged in, and understand how the Platform is used. Cookies fall into three groups: strictly necessary (needed for the site to work; these do not require consent), analytics (help us understand usage), and marketing (advertising/retargeting; we do not expect to use these).

You may configure your browser to refuse or delete cookies, although certain features may not function as a result. We do not use advertising or retargeting cookies, and we do not sell or share your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.

Do Not Track. Some browsers send a “Do Not Track” (DNT) signal. Because there is no consensus industry standard for DNT, ABI does not currently respond to DNT signals. You can control cookies through your browser settings as described above.

9. How We Protect Your Information

We take reasonable measures to protect your information, and we rely on established third-party providers, such as our course platform and payment processor, to store and process it. No online service can be completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security. We treat any breach involving our community’s data as a serious matter and will respond promptly, including any notifications required by law.

10. Children’s Privacy

ABI is designed for adults. Our services are intended for individuals 18 years of age or older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn we have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13, we will delete it as soon as possible. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us information, please contact us.

11. Where Your Information Is Stored

Your information is stored and processed by our service providers. Our course platform stores data on cloud servers located in India, and other providers may store data in the United States or other countries. By using the Platform, you consent to the transfer, storage, and processing of your information in these locations.

12. Your Rights & Choices

Depending on where you live, you may have some or all of the following rights over your personal information:

  • Access: get confirmation of what we hold about you and a copy of it;
  • Correction: ask us to fix inaccurate or incomplete information;
  • Deletion: ask us to delete your information (some records we may keep where the law allows, such as certification and payment records);
  • Opt out of marketing: unsubscribe at any time; and
  • Note on “sale” and “sharing”: we do not sell or share your personal information as those terms are defined under privacy laws, so there is nothing to opt out of.

To exercise a right, email us at hello@affirmingbusinesses.com. We will respond within the timeframes required by applicable law and may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

13. State-Specific Privacy Rights

California residents (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you may have the right to know what personal information we collect and how we use and disclose it, to access it, to request correction or deletion, and to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information. We do not sell or share personal information, so there is nothing to opt out of. You also have the right not to be treated differently for exercising these rights.

California treats sexual orientation as sensitive personal information . We do not use sensitive personal information for anything other than providing our services, and we do not sell or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.

Washington residents (My Health My Data Act)

ABI is based in Spokane, Washington. Washington’s My Health My Data Act may treat certain information, including information related to gender-affirming care, reproductive or sexual health, or mental-health services, as “consumer health data.” Where the Act applies, Washington consumers may have additional rights. You can contact us to exercise any rights available to you.

Other states

Other states have their own privacy laws. As these laws apply to us, we honor the rights they provide to residents of those states, such as access, correction, and deletion. Contact us to exercise any of these rights.

14. Visitors from the EU, UK, and EEA

ABI is a US-based platform and does not specifically target or offer services to residents of the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or Switzerland. If you access our services from these regions, we will endeavor to honor requests to access or delete your personal information. Contact us using the details below.

15. Changes to This Policy

ABI may update this Policy from time to time. ABI will revise the “Last updated” date above and, where required by applicable law or otherwise appropriate, provide additional notice. Changes are effective upon posting unless stated otherwise. Unless expressly stated, the current Policy applies to all information ABI holds about you.

16. Status of This Policy

This Policy is a disclosure of ABI’s information practices. It is not a contract, is not incorporated into the Terms of Service, and does not create any contractual rights, obligations, or third-party beneficiary rights. Statements in this Policy regarding ABI’s practices describe ABI’s own conduct and do not constitute warranties or guarantees regarding the conduct, systems, or security of any third party. If any provision of this Policy is held unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect.

17. Contact

If you have questions about this Policy, want to exercise your rights, or have a privacy concern, please contact us:

Affirming Business Institute, LLC
100 N Howard St STE R, Spokane, WA 99201
Email: hello@affirmingbusinesses.com