Civic News

Mayor Pugh issues order to include LGBTQ-owned businesses in Baltimore supplier diversity programs

With the move, LGBTQ-owned businesses are recognized alongside women and minority–owned firms.

Students pitch a panel of judges at 1313 Innovation this past May.

Mayor Catherine Pugh issued an executive order this month to include LGBTQ–owned businesses in the city government’s supplier diversity programs.
Under the order, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer-owned business enterprises will be recognized along with women and minority-owned businesses as the city looks to provide opportunity to underrepresented groups on contracts and services.
“Baltimore is an inclusive city and is made more vibrant by the diversity of our residents. By including the LGBTQ community in our supplier diversity programs, the City and the broader community are the real beneficiaries of their tremendous skills, talents, innovations and expertise,” Pugh said in a statement. “This is what a 21st Century city should be about – encouraging the best ideas, approaches and capabilities and allowing them to succeed for the benefit of us all.”
Businesses can be certified through the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce. The organization “may also provide independent scholarship programs, mentorship and leadership training, networking opportunities, and other business development tools to further support LGBTQBEs in Baltimore with the support of the Maryland LGBT Chamber of Commerce,” the order states.
According to the document, Baltimore is also seeking to create a database or registry of LGBTQ–owned businesses “so that Baltimore may take part in the $1.7 trillion dollars added to the national economy as well as tens of thousands of jobs created by LGBTQ-owned businesses.”
Read the order
With the move, Baltimore becomes the largest city in the country to include LGBTQ-owned businesses, the city states. Last month, NGLCC said Jersey City and Hoboken, N.J., issued orders, as well, according to NGLCC.

Before you go...

Please consider supporting Technical.ly to keep our independent journalism strong. Unlike most business-focused media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational support.

3 ways to support our work:
  • Contribute to the Journalism Fund. Charitable giving ensures our information remains free and accessible for residents to discover workforce programs and entrepreneurship pathways. This includes philanthropic grants and individual tax-deductible donations from readers like you.
  • Use our Preferred Partners. Our directory of vetted providers offers high-quality recommendations for services our readers need, and each referral supports our journalism.
  • Use our services. If you need entrepreneurs and tech leaders to buy your services, are seeking technologists to hire or want more professionals to know about your ecosystem, Technical.ly has the biggest and most engaged audience in the mid-Atlantic. We help companies tell their stories and answer big questions to meet and serve our community.
The journalism fund Preferred partners Our services
Engagement

Join our growing Slack community

Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!

Trending

Interactive timeline: top moments from Baltimore’s challenging yet inspiring year in tech

Baltimore is setting a national standard for diversifying its economy

19 tech and entrepreneurship events to check out before the holidays

Tech lab space opening in new 4MLK building, thanks to $2M in public funds

Technically Media