Chamber Business Event Changes Venue After Trump’s DEI Ban
Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce moves event to Hilton Garden Inn.
A Houston-based LGBTQ+ business event was forced to relocate on short notice after President Donald Trump’s executive order banning Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives within federal agencies led the Federal Reserve to withdraw as its venue.
The Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce had planned to host the Thrive Small Business Summit and Matchmaker at the Houston branch of the Federal Reserve on Thursday, but organizers were informed at the last minute that the event was no longer permissible under the new federal directive.
“It was a gut punch,” Tammi Wallace, co-founder, president, and CEO of the Chamber, told the Houston Chronicle. “Here’s an event that’s about businesses. It’s about our economy; it’s about supporting small businesses that are working hard … so to get this email was very painful. It was very painful reading that, especially considering everything we’ve seen in the last few weeks — just knowing this is what’s happening, and this is what’s happening in our country.”
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Source : https://www.outsmartmagazine.com/2025/01/houston-lqbtq-business-event-forcibly-relocated/