WASHINGTON — The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), the business voice of the LGBT community, has announced its unprecedented endorsement of Hillary Clinton for President of the United States. NGLCC’s Board of Directors, comprised of LGBT and allied business leaders with experience in the public and private sectors, recently voted to endorse Secretary Clinton during the organization’s 2016 International Business & Leadership Conference.
“The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce has never endorsed a candidate in its nearly fifteen year history, but the stakes have never been so high for the future of the LGBT business community. Hillary Clinton is the progressive champion our businesses and our families need to thrive,” said NGLCC Co-Founder and CEO Chance Mitchell. “The LGBT community has come too far to lose its seat at the table, and we are certain that Secretary Clinton will be the President fighting for the collective economic and social longevity of America’s 1.4 million LGBT business owners.”
Secretary Clinton has denounced LGBT discrimination as not only morally wrong, but fundamentally bad for business. NGLCC leadership considers her election imperative to the well being of America’s economy and the monumental gains achieved in recent years for the LGBT community. Among the policies NGLCC cites for their historic endorsement are her commitments to cutting red tape and unnecessary tax burdens on small businesses; as well as preserving and expanding President Obama’s LGBT equality executive actions, essential to NGLCC’s work toward the full federal inclusion of LGBT Business Enterprises (LGBTBEs). The organization serves as the exclusive certifying body and advocacy force for LGBT businesses seeking contracts and economic opportunities with the Fortune 500, along with multiple federal agencies and state governments.
While this is the first political endorsement for the NGLCC, the organization recently held a landmark celebration in honor of the historic nature of Secretary Clinton’s nomination and the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce and the Democratic National Committee to include certified LGBT-owned businesses as suppliers for the 2016 Democratic National Convention. That event included the unveiling of the social media hashtag #LGBTBiz4Hillary.
“The NGLCC and our partners are proud to endorse a champion for equality and opportunity who will promote the Democratic Party’s most progressive platform yet,” added Chance Mitchell. ” Secretary Clinton proudly affirms an essential core value of the NGLCC: that we are all stronger together, and that our economy only succeeds when the American Dream is available to all LGBT and allied Americans.”
