What says summer AND gay better than the fruit of summertime — watermelon — and a rainbow colored sweet treat?? How about a summertime strain selected from a queer-owned dispensary? Well, that’s exactly what this month’s strain of the month is: Watermelon Zkittlez.

I wanted to support a queer-owned dispensary with this month’s strain of the month in honor of Pride Month, and was over the moon elated when I learned that Better Daze wasn’t just queer-owned, but was BEAR-owned. For those who don’t know, a bear is an identity and subculture within the queer community. A bear is a gay man who is similar to a bear in the sense that they are typically fat, hairy, or both. You can spot bears in the wild with their seven-colored striped flag of brown, orange, yellow, cream, white, grey, and black, with a black bear paw print in the top left corner. And now that you know a little more about the bear community, let’s get into this strain!
I walked into Better Daze and straight up asked for the gayest strain they had. In terms of the delivery of that question, I should have prefaced with why I was asking, but my budtender just rolled with it and gave a good chuckle when I finally explained I was asking because I wanted a strain to lean into the vibes of Pride Month. We explored several options but ultimately settled on the indica-leaning hybrid for a few key reasons.

First, the name made me think “gay summer”. Watermelon is my favorite snack during summertime, so that was no brainer, and Zkittlez added some gay flair to edible rainbows (iykyk). Second, Pride Month is a busy time and can be overwhelming, so I wanted an option that could provide a level of calm after nights out dancing to Kylie Minogue or roaming the streets in bisexual crop tops. Lastly, the nugs looked too good not to choose Watermelon Zkittlez.

Now, I would recommend this strain if you are looking for something to gently ease you into a good night’s sleep after a full day of being your fiercest self, because that’s exactly what she did for me. I thought I would enjoy my usual nighttime chattiness with this strain, but she slapped me with the rainbow and tucked me into bed better than any drag mother ever could. Her fruity aroma had me excited to enjoy my high snack of fruit popsicles after getting a whiff of her. After a good hit of my bong, I was asleep in under 30 minutes.

If you are looking for a relaxing strain to help you hit the hay faster than you can say “Shantay you stay,” then I highly recommend Watermelon Zkittlez from Better Daze, your neighborhood bear-owned dispensary!