By Aaron Boot-Haury—
Happy Pride, San Francisco!
In April, I used this space to tell you what we were building toward on June 2: our first annual LGBTQ+ Business Expo, our expanded Business of Pride partnership with the San Francisco Business Times, and the unveiling of a refreshed Golden Gate Business Association. I’m thrilled to report back: It all came together, and then some. Our relaunch is complete. By now, I hope you’ve had a chance to explore our new website and experience our new brand and voice. If you haven’t yet, go take a look. We are proud of what we’ve built.
And what a way to step into Pride season. The LGBTQ+ Business Expo, presented alongside the Business Times’ Business of Pride celebration, was a tremendous success. We sold out of tables, and the room buzzed from the first handshake to the last goodbye. Best of all, we are hearing the stories of connections made that day that have already turned into real business getting done. That is the entire point. It is what this chamber has done for more than fifty years, and it is exactly what we intend to keep doing. We cannot wait to make this event bigger and better next year.
I’ll be honest with you, as I always try to be in these columns. This Pride Season feels a great deal better than the last one. Longtime readers will remember that, last fall, in these pages, I described the attacks on our community as the most severe I had seen in my lifetime. I am an eternal optimist (it is practically in the job description), and I won’t pretend the headwinds have disappeared. This political environment still asks a great deal of us. But things feel less chaotic than they did twelve months ago. Corporations are rediscovering their courage, or rediscovering that alienating LGBTQ+ people and our allies is simply bad for business. (Personally, I’ll happily take either.) Diversity-focused business organizations are finding their footing within the new “anti-DEI” executive orders. And, as so many of my fellow LGBTQ+ organizational leaders and I keep telling one another lately, we have made the shift from survival to building the next chapter. It just feels better.
So, here is my ask: Enjoy your Pride celebrations. Have fun. Be safe. Soak up every bit of joy this city has to offer. And, then, on July 1, let’s get back to work.
(Speaking of Pride: Keep your eyes peeled out there. At San Francisco Pride, you’ll be treated to a very healthy dose of the new GGBA look.)
What then does “getting back to work” mean for us? I am so glad you asked!
Now that you have all seen our new look and heard our new voice, we are simply going to keep building. With the incredible support of several new corporate sponsors, and the tireless work of our board of directors and volunteers, we are on the verge of launching a whole slate of new programs: mentoring and one-on-one coaching, supplier readiness workshops, industry-specific events, and new strategic partnerships with fellow organizations, just to name a few.
We are also thrilled to be a pilot NGLCC affiliate chamber rolling out the new Allied Business Certification Program. This one matters on two levels. First, it helps protect the legal standing of the existing LGBTE certification (see my aforementioned note about those executive orders). And, second, it gives the many non-LGBTQ+-owned businesses here in San Francisco, of which there are plenty, a meaningful way to show their support: by joining their local affiliate chamber, and by plugging directly into the resources of the NGLCC and its national corporate partner network.
And we are growing our team. Calls for applications to the GGBA Board of Directors open July 1, so keep an eye out. If you have ever wanted to help shape the next chapter of the original LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce, this is your moment.
At the GGBA, we remain deeply committed to fostering innovation, collaboration, and economic empowerment within our community. More than fifty years ago, Harvey Milk stood beside the GGBA booth at Pride and reminded us, “Hope is never silent. Rights are won only by those who make their voices heard.” That hope is alive in every member, sponsor, volunteer, and ally who has carried us into this new chapter.
So, to all of you: thank you. Thank you for showing up, for building with us, and for believing that history, connection, and growth still belong in the same sentence.
Happy Pride, San Francisco. Now let’s go make some more history.
Aaron Boot-Haury is the President and CEO of the Golden Gate Business Association.
GGBA Message from Leadership
Published on June 25, 2026
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