Louisville proposal would tell local LGBTQ-owned companies the city is 'open for business'

Show Caption Hide Caption Every good ally should know these LGBTQ+ terms Every good ally should know these LGBTQ+ terms.

For years, Cyndi Masters was nervous at the idea of her company, DBS Interactive, being known as an LGBT-owned business.

She had never "come out" at work, always keeping her personal and professional life separate.

She’s been running the Louisville digital design agency for nearly two decades, but for many years she had no access to a professional network of other gay CEOs — not until she joined the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, NGLCC, which certifies and supports LGBT-owned businesses across the U.S.

Now, Masters' company consults for projects at Fortune 500 companies, and she says joining the NGLCC changed her life.

"I feel like I am on an equal playing field now," Masters said.

Her company was the first certified LGBT-owned business in Louisville, but soon that community may grow, with the help of the Louisville Metro Council.

The council is considering an ordinance that would codify Louisville's desire to recognize and support LGBT-owned businesses, just as the city has long encouraged contract opportunities for businesses owned by minorities, women and people with disabilities.

Check out: Georgetown becomes 13th Kentucky city to adopt Fairness Ordinance

The proposed legislation, which will be considered by a Metro Council committee Wednesday, would extend those efforts to LGBT-owned enterprises, encouraging them to become certified through the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce and apply for subcontracting bids.

It would also create training and networking sessions for those businesses.

Councilwoman Jessica Green, D-1st, a co-sponsor of the ordinance, said it's a way for Louisville Metro Government to intentionally ensure underrepresented or marginalized groups have "a voice at the table, because it's valuable."

One of Green's sons is a member of the LGBTQ community, she said, and it's important to her that he and others feel that they have opportunities to succeed.

"I want him to know and understand he has the ability to be and do anything anybody else can," Green said. "What I'm committing is, if he chooses to have a business or anyone in his community chooses to, the city will step up and say, 'We are going to prioritize you, and we want your voices at the table.'"

The proposal doesn't currently include minimum goals for LGBT-owned businesses the way it does for city contracts with businesses owned by minorities, females or people with disabilities — spelled out in city ordinances as 15%, 5% and 0.5%, respectively.

Green said for right now, the ordinance is about inclusion and getting a sense of the LGBT-owned business landscape, but that percentages could be included in the future.

"We want to be thoughtful and deliberate about that," she said.

Chris Hartman, director of the Fairness Campaign, told The Courier Journal it was a smart move to acknowledge LGBT-owned enterprises just like the city does other marginalized groups that may have trouble building equity and building businesses.

His hope, he said, is that it adds greater diversity to the pool of city contracts.

"I'm proud the city is continuing to embrace, support and uphold its LGBTQ community," Hartman said, pointing to the 20th anniversary of the Fairness Ordinance.

Read this: What a town's 20-year struggle with 'Fairness' says about LGBTQ rights

The new proposal also changes language that previously described "handicapped-owned businesses" to "disabled-owned business." That change in the ordinance was especially important for Masters' company DBS Interactive, which is also certified as a disability-owned business. Masters, who has a physical disability, was tired of Louisville using the outdated term "handicapped" in reference to her company.

"It tells me that I count as much as everyone else and that the city wants me here," Masters said.

In Kentucky, there are currently more than 20 certified LGBT businesses. Louisville is home to six, certified through NGLCC.

If this ordinance passes, that number is sure to rise, said Jonathan Lovitz, the NGLCC's senior vice president. Since the state of California recognized the NGLCC certification five years ago, the number of LGBT-owned businesses increased by 200% and is still climbing, he said.

"And we've seen that (same increase) in every major city, because what this certification does is declare 'we're open for business,'" Lovitz said. "This isn't just about contracting, it's about everything a small business needs — workshops, networking, capital."

Lovitz said Louisville is right on track with the national movement. In 2019, 12 different municipalities implemented something similar to this ordinance, with the help of NGLCC, Lovitz said.

That includes nearby Nashville, Tennessee, which earlier this year became the first city in the South to recognize such businesses in public contracting.

Nashville's executive order affirms LGBT-owned businesses as a recognized category for Metro procurement and contracting, along with tracking procurement and spending of public money with LGBT-owned businesses.

Chicago has also considered adding LGBT-owned businesses to supplier diversity programs that already encourage minority- and women-owned businesses to bid on local government contracts.

Recently: Photographer who opposes gay marriage sues over Fairness Ordinance

Louisville is making a clear statement by considering this ordinance, said Masters, who helped found the NGLCC's regional chamber of commerce, CIVITAS — a group that could assist the city in certifying LGBT-owned businesses and connecting them to workshops, training and networking.

She may now consider bidding for contracts with her company, DBS Interactive, which helps build accessible websites and apps for people with visual, hearing, cognitive and physical impairments. And if the company ever loses clients because of Masters' identity — something she worries about — the city's efforts could help make up for it. At the very least, "it gives me a shot," she said.

Lovitz added that the ordinance wouldn't be about "set-aside initiatives."

"We're just looking for an equal seat at the table for the communities who have not traditionally had one," he added. "It's not about taking a piece of the pie from someone else."

And there are potential economic benefits to adding LGBT-owned businesses to the city's contract pool, according to Lovitz.

Increased competition for contract bids could make bid prices lower and leave more money to invest in the community. He said there are 1.4 million LGBT-owned businesses in the country, producing trillions of dollars in revenue.

"This legislation is about strengthening the small business ecosystem of Louisville and showing Kentucky and the region something that we all know to be true: Diversity is good for business," Lovitz said.

"Despite all the social pressures to keep the LGBT community at bay, our businesses are thriving," he added. "Just think what lies in store for Louisville when they give LGBT business owners a chance to succeed."

Related: Louisville woman's tea shop will be LGBTQ space for black and sober people

Darcy Costello: 502-582-4834; dcostello@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @dctello. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/darcyc.

Reach culture and diversity reporter Savannah Eadens at seadens@courierjournal.com or 502-381-9498. Follow her on Twitter at @savannaheadens.