In 2021, OUT Georgia Business Alliance launched TGX360, a new employment and entrepreneurship initiative created by and for Georgia’s Transgender and Gender Expansive (TGX) community.
VISION
Every TGX Georgian experiences economic empowerment—regardless of their lived experiences and skillset—through equitable access to resources, support, and opportunities, allowing themselves to fully and safely participate in the workforce and to advance their career or entrepreneurial endeavors.
MISSION
We advance economic equity for TGXGeorgians by providing full-service support, programming, and solutions to individuals on their employment and entrepreneurship journeys, and in turn improve access to healthcare, affordable housing, and other social determinants of health and prosperity.
We assembled an Advisory Committee of leaders and diverse voices guiding our development, and we launched the TGX360 Employment & Entrepreneurship Survey in English and Spanish to capture data and better understand the community’s needs. If you are interested in joining our advisory committee, please complete our application form.
On Tuesday, March 29, 2022, OUT Georgia held the first TGX360 Town Hall event, highlighting the TGX360 Survey results and next steps for the initiative in 2022/2023. The full presentation and report can be downloaded here.
We’re also proud to announce that OUT Georgia was recently awarded the 2022 National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) & Wells Fargo TGX Initiative Grant, which is the first time funding has been secured to specifically impact our transgender and gender expansive work.
You may ask, “Why is the OUT Georgia Business Alliance spearheading this initiative?” It’s because we recognize the daunting employment statistics that are the lived experiences of TGX Georgians as highlighted in the 2015 US Trans Survey:
- 11% were unemployed (more than twice the 2015 US unemployment rate of 5%);
- 33% of those who held or applied for a job during that year were fired, denied a promotion, or not hired because of their gender identity or expression;
- 29% of those who had a job in the past year reported other experiences of workplace harassment related specifically to their gender identity or gender expression; and
- 30% lived in poverty (more than twice the 2015 US unemployment rate of 12%).
In response to these disparaging realities, OUT Georgia is uniquely positioned to leverage its assets, business relationships and community partnerships to provide tangible and real solutions for the approximate 80,520 Georgia residents who are transgender or gender expansive (TGX).
To address these disparities, the objectives of TGX360 will be to:
- Connect, support, and leverage TGX-led and TGX-focused coalition community partners to be an integral part of the solution;
- Identify TGX individuals to bring this initiative to life and fairly compensate TGX-led or focused community partners for services they provide;
- Connect participants who need work readiness skills and work readiness resources with supportive services;
- Train employers and workforce development providers to provide trans affirming environments that will set TGX job seekers up for success;
- Facilitate/collaborate to deliver job fairs to connect qualified TGX applicants with trans affirming employers; and
- Promote employment, entrepreneurship, and access to networks and business building resources through the OUT Georgia Business Alliance.
If you have any questions, contact Andi Monroe at andi.monroe@outgeorgia.org!
To learn more about corporate partnership, we invite you to review our deck here.
About OUT Georgia Business Alliance
OUT Georgia Business Alliance proudly serves as Georgia’s only LGBTQ+ and Allied Chamber of Commerce.
Since 1994, OUT Georgia Business Alliance (formerly the Atlanta Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce) has served the LGBTQ+ and Allied business community by advocating for the most inclusive and equitable business environment; providing support and resources to fuel economic growth; and driving meaningful community connections and impact across the State of Georgia.
OUT Georgia Business Alliance is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., and is a proud affiliate of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce. For more information, contact us at OUTGeorgia.org or info@OUTGeorgia.org.
