GSBA - Greater Seattle Business Association

I’ve been a GSBA member since opening my business in 2012, and they have consistently uplifted my small business through meaningful visibility, high-quality training, intentional networking, and by centering equity in everything they do. As the largest LGBTQ+ and allied chamber in the nation, I’ve had the pleasure of watching them represent our region on a national stage, and I feel genuinely grateful to have this incredible organization in our community. The GSBA Scholarship & Education Fund holistically supports and invests in the next generation of diverse change-makers who strengthen our entire region. I am proud to be a member, and I tell every new small business owner that joining GSBA is one of the best investments you can make if you want to build a community of support around yourself as a leader and attract values-aligned customers who choose to spend their dollars intentionally.

GSBA is an amazing community organization!

I was a scholar of this foundation back around 2019. A tall white man who had a big title in the organization (not sure if he was the chair or director) grabbed my butt and then put his arm over my shoulder after when taking picture with the rest of the scholars. When the picture was done he did not remove his arm from my shoulder. I was in my early 20s when this happened. When I graduated college, I decided to volunteer to be in scholarship committee to decide what student would get the award. I was in a zoom team with various individuals one being an indian man working in tech who expressed being a gender non conforming gay man. During our meeting he began speaking about his sex life and everyone laughed excluding me - it was unprofessional and uncomfortable. I understand this is a queer organization but queerness should not equal pervertedness.