Business Leads the Way for Equality in Washington

Emotionally we are overwhelmed with the reality that soon our families will no longer have second class status in Washington. In addition, GSBA as a business chamber, understands that equality is not only the right thing to do but it is good for business.

GSBA wants to recognize the leadership role that our business members took in standing up publicly and early on to endorse marriage equality. Some of the first business endorsements came from corporations who already support equality in the workplace by offering equal benefits to their LGBT employees; have policies prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identify and encourage a corporate culture of inclusion. But, this month, some of our corporate members took their commitment and made it public. 

Thank you to 1^st Security Bank, Group Health, Starbucks and Vulcan for taking the lead in standing up for equality and fairness. Many other GSBA member businesses are endorsing marriage equality every day. If you have not yet done so, please do so today.

Marriage equality will benefit the entire state from increased revenue for those in the wedding industry, LGBT tourists coming to our state for their own wedding celebrations or to attend someone else’s wedding and LGBT employees who will move here so their families can benefit from living in a state that recognizes their relationships. The benefits are vast and not fully measurable nor confined to the LGBT community. Surely, removing this barrier to equality for the LGBT community will benefit our entire state.

Our work to achieving equality is not over, but together, as Susan B. Anthony stated “failure is impossible”.

For our equality,

Louise