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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, For the past quarter century, the Austin LGBT |
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| 6 | 7 | | Chamber of Commerce has been a voice and an advocate for the |
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| 7 | 8 | | lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender business owners of Austin; |
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| 8 | 9 | | and |
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| 9 | 10 | | WHEREAS, Originally established in 1994 as the Stonewall |
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| 10 | 11 | | Chamber of Commerce, after the Stonewall demonstrations in New York |
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| 11 | 12 | | City in 1969, the chamber was renamed the Austin Gay and Lesbian |
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| 12 | 13 | | Chamber of Commerce in 1997; it became one of the founding members |
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| 13 | 14 | | of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) in 2004, |
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| 14 | 15 | | and in 2017, it changed its name to the Austin LGBT Chamber of |
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| 15 | 16 | | Commerce, in recognition of the contributions of the bisexual and |
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| 16 | 17 | | transgender communities to the local economy; and |
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| 17 | 18 | | WHEREAS, Over the years, the Austin chamber has grown in |
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| 18 | 19 | | membership and influence; milestones have included the publication |
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| 19 | 20 | | of its first magazine, Forward Austin, in 2007, its attainment of |
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| 20 | 21 | | 300 members in 2009, and the first publication of its quarterly |
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| 21 | 22 | | magazine, the Agenda, in 2012; it received the Rising Star Chamber |
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| 22 | 23 | | of the Year Award from the NGLCC in 2013, and that same year, it was |
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| 23 | 24 | | named Best Shop-Local Portal in the Austin Chronicle's Best of |
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| 24 | 25 | | Austin poll; and |
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| 25 | 26 | | WHEREAS, In addition, the chamber has become a powerful force |
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| 26 | 27 | | for inclusion and diversity in the community; it sponsored its |
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| 27 | 28 | | first Pride Parade in Austin in 2001 and continued to host the |
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| 28 | 29 | | parade and festival until 2010, drawing more than 50,000 |
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| 29 | 30 | | participants each year; on the first day of the 2013 SXSW |
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| 30 | 31 | | Interactive Festival, it organized the first #BigGay Kickoff Party, |
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| 31 | 32 | | attracting more than 1,500 attendees, and in 2015, it was |
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| 32 | 33 | | recognized with the Excellence in Community Impact Award from the |
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| 33 | 34 | | NGLCC; and |
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| 34 | 35 | | WHEREAS, Each June, the chamber hosts the Proud! Gala, an |
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| 35 | 36 | | annual business awards ceremony and scholarship fund-raiser for |
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| 36 | 37 | | LGBT students; over the past year, the chamber has launched an |
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| 37 | 38 | | Employee Resource Groups program and created an advocacy committee; |
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| 38 | 39 | | it is also one of the founding chambers of the Texas LGBT Chambers |
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| 39 | 40 | | of Commerce, a statewide advocacy group that is holding its first |
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| 40 | 41 | | legislative day at the State Capitol in 2019; and |
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| 41 | 42 | | WHEREAS, By empowering LGBT businesses and their allies, the |
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| 42 | 43 | | Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce is working to develop a supportive, |
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| 43 | 44 | | diverse, and prosperous environment throughout the Capital City; |
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| 44 | 45 | | now, therefore, be it |
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| 45 | 46 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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| 46 | 47 | | Legislature hereby honor the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce for |
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| 47 | 48 | | its first 25 years and extend to the chamber and its members sincere |
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| 48 | 49 | | best wishes for continued success; and, be it further |
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| 49 | 50 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 50 | 51 | | prepared for the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce as an expression of |
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| 51 | 52 | | high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. |
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