TAMPA | Community advocates and allies gathered at the Centre Club June 6 for the Tampa Bay Diversity Chamber of Commerce (TBDCC)’s annual luncheon featuring keynote speaker Mayor Jane Castor.
The gathering featured the luncheon’s first marketplace expo, highlighting local LGBTQ and LGBTQ-friendly businesses as over 150 attendees networked and dined.
Speakers included TBDCC President Justice Gennari who outlined the chamber’s vision and J.P. Morgan Chase Executive Director Michael Baughen who discussed his company’s longstanding support of the LGBTQ community. TBDCC Board Chair Christie Hattersley also discussed the importance of the chamber’s work and L5 owner Laura Shelton outlined the benefits of becoming certified as an LGBT Business Enterprise or LGBTE.
Mayor Castor, who attended with her longtime partner Ana Cruz, subsequently detailed the importance of Tampa’s diversity.
Referencing her historical commencement speech, she advised that “it is my hope that someday we will reach a point where everyone is judged by the content of their character, rather than the color of their skin, that no one loses their life because of the god they worship, and that who you love does not matter as much as that you love, and that you are loved.”
Check out our photos by Dylan Todd below.
The TBDCC will host a number of upcoming events, most notably the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce 2019 Business & Leadership Conference on Aug. 13-16. For more information, visit the TBDCC’s website.
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