OUT Georgia Business Alliance Celebrates the 2024 Kickoff & Membership Drive – 30 Years in LGBTQ+ Professional Ingenuity, Connection, and Driving A New History of Equity

by Andi Monroe | Feb 2, 2024 | Blog, Member News

The OUT Georgia Business Alliance was honored to welcome members, partners, and supporters at the prestigious National Center for Civil and Human Rights to celebrate the launch of the OUT Georgia Business Alliance’s monumental 30th anniversary year against the backdrop of the stirring Queer Justice exhibit, the American LGBTQ+ Museum’s first traveling exhibition in collaboration with Lambda Legal.

Program Highlights

After land acknowledgements by special event chair Matt Mitchell (he/him), new board president Maria Àlvarez (she/he/they) of hosted the evening. OUT Georgia operations and programs manager Andi Monroe (they/them), took the room on trip to 1994 when the chamber was initially formed with a video of Atlanta nightlife and shared vital details on the surrounding adversity of the time including the Cobb County ban of the community in 1993 thanks to the generous knowledge of Dave Hayward of Touching Up Our Roots.
See History of OUT Georgia.

Special remarks from Michael Shutt (he/him) of Lambda Legal and Mario Harper (he/him) of U.S. Business Action to End HIV Now underscored the importance of our ongoing fight for equality and justice. Their words served as a rallying cry, inspiring us to continue pushing boundaries and breaking barriers. We were also honored to have Out On Film‘s new executive director Justice Obiaya (he/him) in attendance and are thrilled to see his leadership with such an impactful and vital organization.

As the evening drew to a close, Maria Àlvarez presented heartfelt parting gifts from Bon Appetit, Y’all by Carlton, and took a moment to highlight the remarkable contributions of David Gacsko (he/him) and Gabrielle Claiborne (she/her) to the organization. Their dedication and leadership have been instrumental in shaping OUT Georgia Business Alliance into a space for bold and inclusive professional development.

As we commemorate three decades of visibility, connection, and community, let us recommit ourselves to the pursuit of equality, diversity, and inclusion. Together, we will continue to blaze trails, uplift voices, and build a brighter future for all.

Here’s to 30 years of vision, dedication, and progress, and phenomenal, memorable support with cheers to the years of further expansion throughout the state of Georgia, collective growth, and LGBTQ+ and allied success to come!

Next Up

The OUT Georgia Business Alliance proudly announced a preview of their upcoming signature event:
The date for the OUT Georgia Business Summit and Expo was announced and Friday, April 26th at the Georgia International Convention Center. The in-person day promises to be an unparalleled opportunity for networking, learning, and collaboration. In the meantime, please see events page for a new weekly session, monthly lunches and networking opportuniries.
For inquiries on attendance, sponsorship, or session presenting, please email info@outgeorgia.org.

Media Support

The event featured the skillful and celebrated talent of Toby Rhinehart behind the camera.
Full photo gallery for viewing below!

The organization was also honored to have accomplished local director Candi Garrett of Brand View Studios providing video support and award-winning media partner, Miko Evans of Meak Productions in attendance.

← OUT Georgia Honors Transgender Awareness Week, Day of Remembrance 2023 OUT Georgia's Statement on Georgia House Bill 1128, prepared by the TGX360 Advisory Council →

Written By Andi Monroe

Written by: Alex Johnson, Communications Director at OUT Georgia Business Alliance

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