About GSBA

Anyone who supports GSBA’s mission and Code of Ethics is eligible to join. Those who support our mission but are not LGBTQ are considered allied.

A: You can find information here or please call the GSBA office at (206) 363-9188 to request a membership brochure.

A: GSBA members work in the for-profit, non-profit and public sectors representing business and professional leaders who are self-employed, business owners, CEOs, elected officials, government employees and students and retirees. Membership provides more than business networking and marketing opportunities – GSBA offers visibility, advocacy, connection with the nonprofit community and support for the next generation of LGBTQ+ and allied leaders through the GSBA Scholarship Fund. GSBA is a thriving and diverse community.

A: GSBA is the largest chamber of its kind in the United States. Since its founding in 1981, GSBA has grown from a Seattle-centric chamber, to one that serves communities across Washington State. Having a large, broad constituency also helps GSBA more effectively advocate for those who live or work in less inclusive areas of Washington.

A: Everyone is welcome to attend GSBA’s programs and events, but only members may advertise in GSBA publications and enjoy the benefit of significantly reduced fees to participate in events.

A: GSBA is as much a community as it is a business chamber. GSBA members are loyal and steadfast in their commitment to a code of ethics that stands for diversity and inclusiveness, providing quality services and products and a commitment to philanthropy and investing in the future through the GSBA scholarship program. Most of our 1,300+ members say they may have joined first for business reasons but remain connected to GSBA because of the sense of community the organization was founded on and is still known for today.

A: GSBA was founded in 1981, a very different era in the struggle for LGBTQ+ equality, when being completely open was much more challenging. Like many other LGBTQ+ organizations, GSBA strives for inclusiveness, and the term “gay” is not fully representative of our community. Sometimes it even remains challenging to fit everyone under the umbrella of “LGBTQ+ and allied.” For those reasons and more, the organization continues to use the original name it was founded under and the name that has more than 25 years of brand equity.

A: Adding the “Q” and “+” or “queer” and “plus” to the “LGBT” is our way of showing our corporate, business, nonprofit members, our community, and our staff that we are an inclusive organization and welcome everyone who supports equality.  This gives visibility and recognition to a large portion of our community that is often underserved and underrepresented and reclaims this historically derogatory term as a positive and more expansive way to identify.T he ‘plus’ is used to signify all of the gender identities and sexual orientations that are not specifically covered by the other five initials. An example is Two-Spirit, a pan-Indigenous American identity.

A: At GSBA we recognize that language is always changing and does not always represent our entire community as a whole. We use the term ‘transgender and gender diverse’ to talk the vast Transfemme, Transmasc, Trans Women, Trans Men, Gender Variant, Transgender, Non-binary, Gender Queer, Two Spirit, Agender, Fa’afafine, Mahu, and other gender identities.

A: We use pronouns to talk about someone indirectly in a conversation. Words like (he/him/his), (she/her/hers), (them/them/their), (ze/zer/zir), etc. These words are usually in the place of a person’s name. Pronouns are important to ask and share, if comfortable, because it allows people to talk about others in an inclusive and affirming way.

Some examples: