ABOVE: Tampa Mayor Jane Castor presents her executive order to recognize LGBTQ-certified businesses at the 2019 NGLCC conference Aug. 14. Photo courtesy Tampa Mayor Jane Castor.
TAMPA | Tampa Mayor Jane Castor will be honored with the Courage in Government Award Nov. 22 at the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) National Dinner Awards in Washington D.C.
The NGLCC serves as a direct link between LGBTQ business owners, corporate leaders and government. The organization’s annual dinner celebrates leading business owners, corporate partners, supplier diversity advocates and community leaders across the nation.
In Aug. of this year, the Tampa Bay Diversity Chamber of Commerce (TBDCC) welcomed the NGLCC to Tampa for the 2019 International Business & Leadership Conference. The conference is the largest gathering of LGBTQ business leaders and allies in the world.
“That the NGLCC chose to come here because of Tampa’s economic empowerment and growth speaks volumes of Florida and we should all be proud,” TBDCC President Justice Gennari told Watermark. “It’s our job to utilize this conference to put Tampa on the map as an LGBT organization; an inclusive city that welcomes everyone to work, live and play.”
Castor, the city’s 59th and first openly LGBTQ mayor, made that clear during the conference Aug. 14. Beside NGLCC President Justin G. Nelson, she announced Tampa would formally recognize LGBT-certified businesses in contracting and procurement opportunities.
New York City Council member Ritchie Torre will accept Castor’s award in D.C. on her behalf. Additional award recipients include Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
“I’m incredibly humbled and honored to receive this award,” Castor said in a statement. “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; that who you love does not matter as much as that you love and are loved; and that we all focus on working together to solve problems that really matter.”
For more information about the NGLCC or its upcoming dinner, visit NGLCC.org. For more information about the TBDCC, visit DiversityTampaBay.org.
