Timeline
Honoring the Past
| 1981 |
GSBA is incorporated for the purposes of visibility and to create a unified voice for the lesbian and gay business community. The GSBA Board of Directors is comprised of nine men. Stan Hill is elected GSBA’s first board president by the general membership. |
| 1982 |
GSBA adopts Standard of Ethics & Conduct.
GSBA joins with 18 other U.S. lesbian and gay business organizations in the National Association of Business Councils. Harley Broe becomes the first lesbian to join the GSBA Board. Membership grows fivefold to 150. |
| 1984 | The Annual Business & Humanitarian Awards honor GSBA individuals, companies and member organizations for their overall success and outstanding contributions. The first affair is black-tie and attended by 150 people. |
| 1985 | GSBA members are instrumental in establishing the Pride Foundation. |
| 1986 | Mary Kay Wright becomes GSBA’s first woman elected board president. |
| 1987 | Dennis O’Mohundro, a GSBA founder, is elected president of the National Association of Gay and Lesbian Democratic Clubs. |
| 1988 |
GSBA renames its monthly newsletter Perspective. Membership tops 300. |
| 1992 |
GSBA in partnership with the Greater San Diego Business Association and the Camelback Business Association of Phoenix, form the Western Business Alliance, a network of LGBT business organizations. GSBA Prime Time offers monthly evening socials which showcase a different member business each month. |
| 1995 |
Ed Murray is elected to the Washington State Legislature, and carries on the efforts of Cal Anderson, the first openly gay person to be appointed to the state house of representatives. Gov. Mike Lowry appoints GSBA founder Tim Bradbury to King County Supreme Court, making him the first openly gay judge in state history. |
| 1997 | Western Business Alliance unites 21 business organizations from Vancouver, B.C. to Tijuana, Mexico, connecting an estimated 12,000 LGBT and Allied business owners and professionals in three countries. |
| 1998 | GSBA launches corporate sponsorship program with participation from some of the nation’s largest companies. |
Embracing the Present
| 2002 | GSBA Guide cover proudly includes bisexual and transgender |
| 2003 |
The GSBA Guide is now the most widely distributed LGBT and Allied guide in the nation with a circulation of 30,000. Membership tops 800. |
| 2004 |
GSBA makes history by sponsoring one of the first Gay Wedding Shows in the nation, garnering international attention. GSBA becomes a founding member of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). GSBA Executive Director Louise Chernin appointed by NGLCC to chair the Council on Chambers and Business Organizations (CCBO) GSBA hires communications director. |
| 2005 |
GSBA reconvenes the Western Business Alliance and the organization votes to fold into the NGLCC’s CCBO structure as the Pacific Regional Council. Capitol Hill’s Broadway is lined with GSBA 25th Anniversary Banners |
| 2006 |
GSBA turns 25 as the nation’s largest LGBT and Allied business chamber. WA State Legislature passes the Gay Civil Rights Bill. GSBA’s 25th Anniversary Edition Guide circulation tops 35,000. Membership increases to 1,000. |
| 2007 |
GSBA moves into its first independent office. GSBA corporate sponsorships total $150,000. GSBA lobbies at Equality Day 2007, WA State Legislature passes Domestic Partnership Bill. GSBA hires scholarship program manager, director of sales and marketing and office manager. |
Shaping the Future
| 1990 | GSBA establishes the nation’s first LGBT and Allied Scholarship Fund to invest in our future leaders. |
| 1993 | Pride Foundation partners with GSBA to launch a complementary Scholarship Fund. |
| 1997 | GSBA produces the first-ever TASTE of GSBA fundraiser while providing a showcase for member restaurants and caterers to showcase their cuisine. |
| 1998 | Richard C. Rolfs, a Wenatchee native and 20-year activist, bequests $200,000 to fund the scholarship endowment named for him. |
| 1999 | First annual GSBA Scholarship Dinner. |
| 2002 | Annual GSBA scholarship fundraising campaign launched. |
| 2003 |
Friends of Dorothy giving club established GSBA hosts its first donor recognition event |
| 2005 |
GSBA and Pride Foundation combined scholarship grants surpass the $1 million mark since the program’s inception. First full year scholarship grants of $10,000 are established. TASTE of GSBA draws more than 500 attendees and raises $150,000 to underwrite the scholarship program. |
| 2006 |
GSBA Scholarship Fund grants surpass $100,000 Since its inception, the GSBA Scholarship Fund surpasses $550,000 in total awards. |
| 2007 | GSBA and Pride Foundation combined scholarship awards total $1.8 million. |
