Trump’s DEI order forces Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce to find new venue for event
The Houston branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas had been scheduled to host Thursday’s Thrive Small Business Summit & Matchmaker event. But the bank informed the chamber of commerce in an email late Monday night that it could no longer serve as host, citing Trump’s executive order.
The Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce was forced to find a new venue for a business event it hosted this week — because of an executive order by President Donald Trump banning Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the federal government.
The Houston branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas had been scheduled to host Thursday’s Thrive Small Business Summit & Matchmaker event. But the bank informed the chamber of commerce in an email late Monday night that it could no longer serve as host.
A representative of the Federal Reserve Bank did not initially offer an explanation as to why, according to emails provided by the chamber of commerce, but subsequently said “any initiative related to DEI has been curtailed.”
"Our operating understanding was that the Thrive event was permissible because of its business and economic development focus,” a bank representative wrote in a Monday night email to Tammi Wallace, the president and CEO of the chamber of commerce. “Unfortunately, this evening, we learned that we could not host the event and remain in compliance with the executive order. We deeply regret having to make this change."
Wallace said her initial reaction was disappointment and disbelief. With only three days before the event and 120 people registered, her organization had to scramble to find a new venue.
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Source : https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/lgbtq/2025/01/31/512614/trumps-dei-order-forces-greater-houston-lgbtq-chamber-of-commerce-to-find-new-venu