86R12456 JGH-D
By: Israel H.R. No. 545
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, For the past quarter century, the Austin LGBT
Chamber of Commerce has been a voice and an advocate for the
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender business owners of Austin;
and
WHEREAS, Originally established in 1994 as the Stonewall
Chamber of Commerce, after the Stonewall demonstrations in New York
City in 1969, the chamber was renamed the Austin Gay and Lesbian
Chamber of Commerce in 1997; it became one of the founding members
of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) in 2004,
and in 2017, it changed its name to the Austin LGBT Chamber of
Commerce, in recognition of the contributions of the bisexual and
transgender communities to the local economy; and
WHEREAS, Over the years, the Austin chamber has grown in
membership and influence; milestones have included the publication
of its first magazine, Forward Austin, in 2007, its attainment of
300 members in 2009, and the first publication of its quarterly
magazine, the Agenda, in 2012; it received the Rising Star Chamber
of the Year Award from the NGLCC in 2013, and that same year, it was
named Best Shop-Local Portal in the Austin Chronicle's Best of
Austin poll; and
WHEREAS, In addition, the chamber has become a powerful force
for inclusion and diversity in the community; it sponsored its
first Pride Parade in Austin in 2001 and continued to host the
parade and festival until 2010, drawing more than 50,000
participants each year; on the first day of the 2013 SXSW
Interactive Festival, it organized the first #BigGay Kickoff Party,
attracting more than 1,500 attendees, and in 2015, it was
recognized with the Excellence in Community Impact Award from the
NGLCC; and
WHEREAS, Each June, the chamber hosts the Proud! Gala, an
annual business awards ceremony and scholarship fund-raiser for
LGBT students; over the past year, the chamber has launched an
Employee Resource Groups program and created an advocacy committee;
it is also one of the founding chambers of the Texas LGBT Chambers
of Commerce, a statewide advocacy group that is holding its first
legislative day at the State Capitol in 2019; and
WHEREAS, By empowering LGBT businesses and their allies, the
Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce is working to develop a supportive,
diverse, and prosperous environment throughout the Capital City;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas
Legislature hereby honor the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce for
its first 25 years and extend to the chamber and its members sincere
best wishes for continued success; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce as an expression of
high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.