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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, For the past quarter century, the Austin LGBT |
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Chamber of Commerce has been a voice and an advocate for the |
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lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender business owners of Austin; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Originally established in 1994 as the Stonewall |
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Chamber of Commerce, after the Stonewall demonstrations in New York |
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City in 1969, the chamber was renamed the Austin Gay and Lesbian |
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Chamber of Commerce in 1997; it became one of the founding members |
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of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) in 2004, |
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and in 2017, it changed its name to the Austin LGBT Chamber of |
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Commerce, in recognition of the contributions of the bisexual and |
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transgender communities to the local economy; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the years, the Austin chamber has grown in |
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membership and influence; milestones have included the publication |
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of its first magazine, Forward Austin, in 2007, its attainment of |
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300 members in 2009, and the first publication of its quarterly |
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magazine, the Agenda, in 2012; it received the Rising Star Chamber |
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of the Year Award from the NGLCC in 2013, and that same year, it was |
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named Best Shop-Local Portal in the Austin Chronicle's Best of |
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Austin poll; and |
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WHEREAS, In addition, the chamber has become a powerful force |
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for inclusion and diversity in the community; it sponsored its |
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first Pride Parade in Austin in 2001 and continued to host the |
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parade and festival until 2010, drawing more than 50,000 |
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participants each year; on the first day of the 2013 SXSW |
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Interactive Festival, it organized the first #BigGay Kickoff Party, |
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attracting more than 1,500 attendees, and in 2015, it was |
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recognized with the Excellence in Community Impact Award from the |
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NGLCC; and |
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WHEREAS, Each June, the chamber hosts the Proud! Gala, an |
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annual business awards ceremony and scholarship fund-raiser for |
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LGBT students; over the past year, the chamber has launched an |
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Employee Resource Groups program and created an advocacy committee; |
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it is also one of the founding chambers of the Texas LGBT Chambers |
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of Commerce, a statewide advocacy group that is holding its first |
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legislative day at the State Capitol in 2019; and |
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WHEREAS, By empowering LGBT businesses and their allies, the |
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Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce is working to develop a supportive, |
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diverse, and prosperous environment throughout the Capital City; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce for |
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its first 25 years and extend to the chamber and its members sincere |
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best wishes for continued success; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce as an expression of |
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high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. |
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Israel |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 545 was adopted by the House on March |
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13, 2019, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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