Pride & Opinions

When I was a first year in college, I debated on a topic about Title VII, which is the part of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. On the affirmative (where you had to advocate increasing protection for more people against employment discrimination), we advocated the Employee Non-Discrimination Act, in its 1998 form, which, unfortunately, still hasn’t passed almost a decade later. But during these debates, people would constantly make the argument that GLBT people didn’t need to be protected from employment discrimination because, as a group, GLBT demographics - and gay men specifically - make a lot of money.

It’s obviously an offensive argument, and one that’s died out at least in some part in the last decade, but seeing this article made me think of that slight, and wonder at the positive possibilities of economic identity for GLBT folks as a whole.

In “Ten Money Questions for Chance Mitchell and Justin Nelson,” the first question Nina of Queercents asks is, “Why does the LGBT community need an economic identity?” I really enjoyed what Mitchell and Nelson, co-founders of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, had to say:

Whether we like it or not, money moves the world. Economics help create social change, not just with corporate leaders, but with local, state and federal governments. The LGBT community is estimated to have had a combined buying power of $660 billion dollars in 2007 and that number will grow to $835 billion dollars by 2010. As a point of reference, these numbers closely follow the buying power of the African American and Hispanic American communities. By leveraging the economic identity of the LGBT community through pocketbook advocacy, we have the ability to create significant change.

Just because Congress doesn’t want to formalize anti-discrimination laws doesn’t mean that poeple can’t do something, which gives me some hope. Mitchell and Nelson had this to say on that subject:

6. How can queer business owners leverage the economics of equality?
When legislators are looking at making decisions, the first people they look to are their constituents. Of their constituents, the first they look to are the business owners – how much revenue are these businesses bringing into the community; how many people are they employing; how many people receive their healthcare through these businesses. The LGBT community has always been very socially active and we have always owned businesses. What we haven’t done it leverage our positions as part of the small business engine that makes the American economy run. Only recently are people realizing that they can and should leverage their businesses to create change. Call your representatives – both state and federal. Make sure that they know what is important to you – not just on issues of importance to your business, but on issues of social concern.

Still not a reason not to pass a law, but a good interim set of steps, I think. The whole article is here.

GLBT, Finance, Employment Non-Discrimination Act, ENDA, National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce

GLBT, Finance, Employment Non-Discrimination Act, ENDA, National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce