The Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce had been planning its Jan. 30 second annual THRIVE Small Business Summit and Matchmaker conference for six months, but in an instant, event planners were left scrambling to find a new venue once President Donald Trump signed an executive order to freeze federal funds to municipalities and nonprofits, according to chamber leaders.
The chamber received a last-minute notice Monday at 9 p.m. that its event, expected to draw more than 120 people, could no longer be held at the Federal Reserve Bank off Allen Parkway due to the federal funding freeze. Tammi Wallace, co-founder, president and CEO of the chamber, said she wasn’t initially given a reason for the last minute cancellation until she pressed for answers.
“For that first 60 seconds, it felt like, ‘This is a joke. This can’t be real,’” Wallace said. “This is not like canceling a happy hour where we can shift. This is a major annual event that we do, and the logistics on it take days and days.”
In canceling the event, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas cited the White House memorandum by the Office of Management and Budget, in an email shared with the Houston Landing. The memo directly mentions a pause on foreign aid and federal assistance to nonprofits while going further to pause programs including, but not limited to, “DEI, woke gender ideology and the green new deal.”
James Hoard, a spokesperson for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, declined to comment.
“Our operating understanding was that the Thrive event was permissible because of its business and economic development focus,” said community engagement manager Chris Schreck, in the email obtained the Houston Landing. “Unfortunately, this evening, we learned that we could not host the event and remain in compliance with the executive order.”
The Federal Reserve apologized and expressed regret for the late change in the email, and offered to help the chamber secure another location.
The White House memo requires federal agencies to identify and review all federal financial assistance programs and supporting activities that align with the president’s policies and requirements.
“The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve,” the memo said.
A federal judge blocked the president’s pause on federal grants and aid minutes before it was to take effect Tuesday, but the move left many Houston officials and nonprofits in a frenzy to determine the potential impacts of the directive that local officials say could hold up hundreds of millions of dollars in funding. On Wednesday the White House budget office reversed course, rescinding an order freezing federal grants, according to The Washington Post.
The Chamber spent much of Tuesday struggling to find a new venue because many were already reserved for other events. Luckily, its longstanding relationship with Hilton paid off, and the chamber was able to secure a space with the Hilton Garden Inn / Home2 Suites, 6840 Almeda Rd.
“This is what coming together looks like,” Wallace said, noting that many reached out to help. “It was just amazing to see people coming together to try to help us.”
The Federal Reserve has been a partner of the chamber for years now, Wallace said, and this would’ve marked the chamber’s first time hosting an event there.
“The Federal Reserve, they play an important part in our economy,” she said. “And as we think back to almost nine years ago when we launched the Chamber, it shouldn’t be lost on us that this is not a place or space that we would’ve typically been in and engaged with as a community.”
Despite the White House’s reversal, the Greater Houston Chamber of Commerce won’t change its plans, a spokesperson said. Wallace said the chamber is open to discuss future collaborations due to the Federal Reserve’s vital role in the economy.
“This is not just about one event,” Wallace said. “This is literally an attempt to silence and erase the LGBTQ+ community and marginalized communities. That is what this specific executive order is about.”
She said it sends a strong message to the LGBTQ+ community that they are second-class citizens and not welcome, but aside from the DEI aspect, it is also a direct attack on the economy and impedes on the success of small businesses.
“We contribute to the economy. We are taxpayers, we are job creators. We are part of not only the economic fabric of this country, but the fabric of the communities that we live and work in,” Wallace said. “So the message that this sends is, ‘You’re not good enough. You’re not worthy. You don’t deserve full and equal rights.’ And we say just the complete opposite. Not only do we deserve those, but we will continue to fight.”
Wallace said the chamber is open to discuss future collaborations due to the Federal Reserve’s vital role in the economy, but given the political climate she believes it highly unlikely.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print.
