HRBOR Reflections - Two and a Half Years Later

This past Saturday I attended the board of directors retreat for Hampton Roads Business Outreach a/k/a HRBOR, the NGLCC affiliate that nine others and myself founded in 2007. Since that time HRBOR has grown and from it I have secured both clients and wonderful friends (the boyfriend first asked me out at a HRBOR networking event). The retreat was a great experience and helped bond the current board more closely together - I am one of the two original board members remaining. From its outset as the only NGLCC affiliate in Virginia, HRBOR has sought to benefit both its members and the larger Hampton Roads area as is visible in its mission statement:

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Hampton Roads Business OutReach (HRBOR) is a broad based coalition of LGBT owned and LGBT supportive businesses and professionals dedicated to the development, growth and advocacy of Hampton Roads and its LGBT community. By promoting an environment in which diversity can flourish, HRBOR is committed to the economic growth and prosperity of our members and our community.

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For those coming out in mid-life, I cannot encourage you enough to get involved in your own GLBT community. Take the time to find organizations that will provide a vehicle to become involved and to make new friends. If you cannot find one, then consider starting an organization as the ten of us original board members did.

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One thing that struck me during the retreat was the fact that the board as a whole does not fit the anti-gay stereotype that our enemies disseminate. We are all professionals or retired professionals. Four board members are former members of the U.S. military, one of whom was discharged under DADT at a great loss to the military. Two of us were forced from larger law firms when our sexual orientation became known. Not all of us are gay. All of us are passionate activists who know that right is on our side and that history is on our side. We all care very deeply about our community - both in terms of the GLBT community and the larger community and we want to make Hampton Roads what it could be if it would throw aside provincial thinking and bigotry.

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HRBOR has been a wonderful experience for me and is a positive influence in the area community. I am very proud of what the original board started and have every confidence that HRBOR will continue to grow under the current leadership.