Organizers of an LGBTQ business event that was supposed to be hosted at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta are searching for a new venue because of President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting diversity, equity and inclusion, the group told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The OUT Georgia Business Alliance, a chamber of commerce for LGBTQ entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders and corporate workers in the state, had planned to host its annual Economic Inclusion Summit at the Atlanta Fed in April, according to Andi Monroe, interim executive director for the group. OUT Georgia hosted the event at the Atlanta Fed’s Midtown campus in 2023 and 2024 and had agreed last December on dates with the bank for this year.
But in his first days in office, Trump issued an executive order taking broad aim at dismantling DEI efforts across the federal government, telling agencies to terminate all DEI-related programs, mandates and jobs. The order has caused issues for some organizations that partner with the government.
In late January, the Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce was going to hold an event at the Federal Reserve Bank of Houston but was told by the bank that the event would violate Trump’s executive order, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Monroe saw that article and sent it to contacts at the Atlanta Fed, according to emails reviewed by the AJC.
“Having the relationship with them that we do, I didn’t want to make this a challenging conversation. I said, ‘Does this circumstance apply to us?’ And they just replied that they have the same limitation,” Monroe said.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
A spokesperson for the Atlanta Fed said in a statement it is reviewing all scheduled events to ensure the bank is “appropriately aligned with the Trump administration’s executive order as well as with existing policies and applicable laws such as the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.”
“Out of respect for our partners’ ability to move forward with planning their events and an abundance of caution, we let them know we may not be able to host their events as we continue evaluating scheduled activities,” according to the statement.
The Atlanta Fed, located at 10th and Peachtree streets near the longtime hub of Atlanta’s LGBTQ community, is one of 12 regional banks in the Federal Reserve system. Atlanta Fed President and CEO Raphael Bostic became the first Black and openly gay chief executive of a regional Fed bank when he was named to his post in 2017.
OUT Georgia had planned to tell its members on Thursday the dates and location for this year’s summit but is now looking for a new venue for the event. About 200 people attend each year and it is the largest conference of its nature in the Southeast, Monroe said. Members get to attend panels on topics like process improvements for business success, hear keynote speakers, network and win money from event sponsors through a pitch competition.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Danielle Bonanno is the executive director of the nonprofit Inclusive Recovery Athens. As a transgender woman in the nonprofit and business worlds, she often felt alone.
“I had just gotten really used to not seeing other people like me, not being able to get mentorship or advice or to connect with other business leaders who had similar lived experiences,” Bonanno said.
But in 2023, she got involved with OUT Georgia, attending the economic inclusion summit at the Atlanta Fed that year, which she said was “life changing.”
“I felt like I was in a space not where I was just like celebrated and seen, but in a space where I was heard and understood as well,” Bonanno said.
She was inspired to get more involved with OUT Georgia and is now the president of the organization. She said the Atlanta Fed did a great job making the group’s members feel welcomed and safe.
But now, as organizers look for a new venue, security is a concern. The Atlanta Fed has a stringent security protocol for all visitors and its own law enforcement officers that can’t easily be replicated at another event space.
“It’s nice knowing that people who may not be wishing the group well don’t have access to the space, and that’s not something, even if we found the most luxurious and graciously offered space in a resort hotel, that’s not going to be something that we can offer our membership now,” Monroe said.
But Bonanno said the community is used to risk, and while it may seem heightened now, the group’s work will continue:
“We’re going to do what we need to do.”
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