This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Banks can't tell the difference between a gay dollar and a straight dollar. Why should anyone else?
That was the overriding message at the Utah Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce's premiere event, a business expo held this weekend on the topmost floor of Zions Bank in downtown Salt Lake City.
"I am a lesbian in this community, and it's a great way to build alliances and improve our presence," said LeAnna Porter, designer and owner of Mountain Desert Landscape Design.
Nevertheless, and despite Salt Lake City's recent ranking by leading gay magazine The Advocate as "the gayest city in America," there was a sense among the expo's almost two dozen participants that proclaiming your business savvy and sexual orientation at the same time still carries unwarranted costs — even in a state where "industry" is the motto.
"A lot of people still see gays and lesbians as 'those people,' not the owner of a pet store, a businessperson or the doctor that takes care of their children," said Sasha Polak, chamber treasurer, parent of five, and owner with her partner of Pumps & Pants, a photography business catering to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. "Developing the chamber shows the community that we're people they can trust, value, and that they can do business with."
Incorporated in January, the chamber's formation marked the end of a six-year road for Michael Aaron, owner of the LGBT biweekly publication QSaltLake and now chamber president. Previously, Aaron had formed a business alliance named after his publication. With the formal name change and, most importantly, he said, the right group of people ready to "grab the rails," the idea took off.
The new chamber is also one of the few gay and lesbian business organizations nationwide that crosses county boundaries to encompass an entire state. Marketing studies over the years have shown that gay and lesbian consumers have more discretionary income and higher levels of education than the general population, but there's also gay, lesbian and transgendered consumers at every household income level, Aaron said.
He's most proud that "ally" straight-owned businesses count for more than half of the chamber's current membership. Many were on display at Saturday morning's expo, following a ribbon-cutting Friday, including Winder Farms and Brown Brothers Catering of Provo.
"I'm not gay myself, but my stepdaughter is, so this hits close to home for me," said Rachel Heimer, sales director for Brown Brothers. "I always support the community any way I can."
A highlight of Saturday morning's event was a keynote speech by Babs De Lay, principal broker of Urban Utah Homes & Estates, who told of her early days doing business in Utah, when she was twice fired for being gay before starting her own real estate firm.
"I never planned on being the first out realtor in Utah," De Lay said. "You do not market to straight clients because you're gay. You market to everyone because you're a great business and a great business person."
At the beginning of her speech, De Lay marveled that she was speaking behind a row of portraits depicting Zions Bank's early business leaders and founders, many of them prominent leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including Brigham Young and Joseph F. Smith.
Derrek Davis, a chamber board member and an assistant vice president with Zions Bank, said top management and the bank's diversity committee welcomed the idea of sponsoring the chamber's first event.
"It's a very diverse bank that a lot of people might not think of as diverse," Davis said.
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