This Inclusive Valentine's Card Collection Is Paying It Forward

February 10, 2020• byBritta Bisig

It’s Feb. 10, and the card aisles at your local drugstore are likely awash with pink and red as a reminder that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Luckily, they’re starting to evolve thanks to a new line made to reflect all kinds of love, relationships, and sexual orientations, available exclusively at London Drugs.

Each one of the 31 keepsakes in the Cards for All collection is designed by a Canadian illustrator that has a connection to who their artwork represents. And whether or not you identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, the Cards for All collection displays a range of romantic and non-romantic relationships. There’s even cards dedicated to those who’ve found love on dating apps, and a selection of them will be available in Braille as well as Chinese, Farsi, and Punjabi.

Photo courtesy of London Drugs.

“Valentine’s Day cards don’t always fully capture relationship diversity and the diversity of love,” said Clint Mahlman, President and COO of London Drugs. “We are proud to have worked with illustrators to help bring Cards For All to life, filling in some of the gaps that exist in the card aisle today. We’re also proud to have 100 per cent of the proceeds go to United Way initiatives in the communities we serve.”

All cards from the collection are $5 (CAD) and all proceeds are being donated to United Way‘s initiatives in Western Canada to help build vibrant, inclusive communities. To find a London Drugs near you, click here.

Keep reading to learn more about the artists behind the Cards for All collection.

: Cristian Fowlie: “I was excited to be a part of the Valentine’s Day Cards for All project because its inclusive of so many different types of relationships. Love can take many forms but we don’t always see them all represented in our culture. I hope that my card, and the other cards in this line, can help others feel seen and celebrated in their unique kind of love. I chose my card because I’m gay and about to celebrate five amazing years with my boyfriend. Our anniversary is two days before Valentine’s day, so I’m looking forward to giving him my own specially designed card.”

: Izzy Gibson: “As someone who has been openly bisexual since my teens, I have seen how the world has changed and is becoming more open to all forms of love. It’s important to embrace love. That was my inspiration for the card. That love is like a two-way street. Hate and intolerance just makes it feel more like sitting in a trafﬁc jam. There’s always more room in the world for more kindness.”

: Mustalli Raj: “It was an opportunity to represent an aspect of the cultural diversity of Canada by disrupting the usual narrative of Valentine’s day. Having a connection to the South-Asian Canadian diaspora, projects like this mean leaps and bounds in the right direction towards inclusivity. It was also important for me to enhance the subtleties within the Punjabi culture itself. Punjabi language is phonetically similar but written in two different scripts, Shahmukhi in the Pakistan part of Punjab and Gurmukhi in India. My design attempts to integrate the two scripts seamlessly like the rhythm of its sounds.”