One of the things that I am most proud of in my post-coming out life is helping to found Hampton Roads Business OutReach ("HRBOR") the only National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce affiliated LGBT chamber in Virginia. I remain a board member and believe that HRBOR is steadily change the perspective of the larger business community towards embracing the LGBT community and recognizing the important role that members of the LGBT community play in both the local economy and the cultural aspects of the community.
Last night's Third Thursday networking event hosted by Tysinger Mercedes-Benz, Malvin Riggins and Company and fellow HRBOR board member Geneva Perry was the largest event in HRBOR's history - roughly 300 attendees - and attracted an amazingly diverse cross section of the business community, not to memtion a majority of the Hampton City Council. Between the display of beautiful cars, gorgeous flowers, fabulous food and desserts and the amazing bar carved out of a huge block of ice (see photo below), it was a most impressive event and wowed many of the first time attendees, several of whom joined HRBOR on the spot.
My special thanks go out to Mark and Denise Tysinger, John Caldwell of Malvin Riggins, and to Geneva Perry for hosting a spectacular event. HRBOR exemplifies what a small group of dedicated individuals can achieve and also how neighborhood by neighborhood and city by city LGBT support can be achieved. All of us need to be involved and make a difference. Change doesn't happen in a vacuum. And if successes such as HRBOR's can happen in all too typically backward Virginia, it can be done anywhere.
