Golden Gate Business Turns Thirty

by Reid Dennis for the San Francisco Spectrum

GGBA officers and honorees celebrated 30 years of GGBA!

Celebrating thirty years representing the Bay Area’s gay and lesbian businesses and supportive businesses, the Golden Gate Business Association (GGBA) held a festive fundraiser and awards dinner, "Beyond the Dream," in the Regency Center Grand Ballroom on Oct. 21 with guest of honor, novelist Armistead Maupin. The GGBA provides members with networking and mentoring opportunities, informal business advice, business leads, and referrals. The organization offers a sense of community for members facing the task of doing business in today's rapidly changing and challenging marketplace.

Recently, GGBA launched the Tourism Advisory Program, a cooperative effort between GGBA, the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau, the San Francisco LGBT Community Center, and the San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration Committees. This historic coalition's goal is to create and maintain a coordinated campaign to attract LGBT tourists to San Francisco.

“The year 2004 has been a momentous one of change for GGBA. We have many achievements to take pride in,” said GGBA President Jim Cherry. For instance, he said GGBA has launched their tourism advisory program, known as TAP, which works closely with the SF Convention and Visitors Bureau to promote San Francisco as the preferred destination to the LGBT traveler. The “Come Out Here” campaign has been launched nationally as well as in Canada, and has plans to expand internationally. The 2004 Pride Pages was published in June featuring GGBA members, LGBT friendly businesses, and their corporate partners, with a distribution of 20,000. “We’re very proud of our publication,” Cherry said.

This year GGBA, traditionally a nonpolitical organization, decided to begin a tradition of taking a stand in political matters of importance to the LGBT community and its friends. Thus they introduced the Policy and Advocacy Advisory Board, which reviews ballot measures for their relevance to their issues and makes recommendations to their board of directors. They received national recognition this year in the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce with the Outstanding Chamber Achievement Award in honor of their 30 years of service to the LGBT business community. Cherry said their partnership with the LGBT Community Center has continued to bloom, with their offices now located in the Center and their joint participation in such events as the political happy hour (reviewing SF ballot measures) and the third annual Pride Business Expo. “We look forward to many years of continued cooperation and shared prosperity with the Center,” Cherry said. “It is with admiration and great honor that I say thank you to the growing GGBA membership. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

“I’ve always loved living in San Francisco because it’s been such a wonderful source of material for so long. This city lives as a testament to the rest of the world about how to be open and happy and free, and live comfortably in your own skin,” said Armistead Maupin. “We were one of the first places on the planet to protest that obviously evil war in Iraq. It was blatantly apparent. At the time the rest of the world thought it was just something those wacky San Franciscans were doing. But we proved to be right.” He added, “Did you read today that Pat Robertson has gone on record to say he does not approve of the war on Iraq.” He said, “These assholes in Washington are acting so shocked that someone should mention that a 33 year old openly gay daughter is a lesbian for fear that a few hundred thousand idiot fundamentalists will discover that and not vote for the president because of that. It’s just horrifying.” He elaborated, “That woman was hired to improve the image of Coors beer. She sold her lesbianism to other gay men and lesbians as a way of helping out an evil corporation in Colorado. And now we’re supposed to not talk about it??”

Aerial artist Zeina Asfour, dressed in flaming orange and yellow tights, performed a stunning trapeze act, suspended by two long pieces of fabric that she climbed up, wrapped herself around with, and did various acrobatics dancing on air.

Film critic Jan Wahl acted as auctioneer for the live auction, and made several comments about how she was brought up to really appreciate gay and lesbian people. Wahl said, “When I’m around gay people, I feel at home. I feel like the world is one big Passover dinner, and I am a part of it.” Wahl said, “I’m a girl who loves show business. You cut me, and I bleed sequins!” She quoted actress Liz Taylor, who said, “Without gay men and lesbians, there would be no show business.”

LGBT Community Center Executive Director Thom Lynch introduced recipients of the Center Awards. The Corporate Leadership Award was given to Wells Fargo, for exceptional leadership and investment in the community. In 2003, Wells gave away one billion dollars to gay and lesbian causes. Sandra Hernandez, CEO of the San Francisco Foundation and past director of the Department of Public Health received an award for gathering a group of foundations to help the Center move forward. Out of that came foundation gifts for more than $350,000. Accepting for Hernandez was Ron Reynolds, program officer at the Foundation.

Assemblyman Mark Leno said, “It is a real honor to be here to celebrate this auspicious occasion. Who could believe we would be thirty years old? He said he started his own sign business 27 years ago, making him one of the first to join GGBA. “Our many businesses are so very important to the wellbeing of the economic health of San Francisco.” He presented an Assembly Resolution to GGBA for all its noble history. “Our community has come of age. Our past is powerful. Our present is rich. And our future is truly limitless,” said Leno.

The Charles M. Holmes Individual Leadership Award was given to Supervisor Bevan Dufty. Dufty said how thankful he was for the job of a lifetime and then joked, “Never mind that. Did you see the handsome guy that bid on the auction item of dinner at my house? I should be paying for this dinner, not him!” Dufty said, “I am so pleased to be partnered with Thom Lynch, and the Community Center is now the hub of economic empowerment for the LGBT community. Having GGBA there is so important. Having an economic development center there is vital to produce small business loans for LGBT entrepreneurs.”

City Treasurer Jose Cisneros presented Jim Cherry, president of GGBA, with the Leadership Hall of Fame plaque. “It’s quite an honor to be number thirty on this plaque,” said Cherry. “Let’s take this to the next thirty years, shall we?”

GGBA, the first LGBT
chamber of commerce.

Positive Resource Center, providing employment services and benefits counseling to the SF Bay Area HIV community.

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