The Charlotte LGBT Chamber of Commerce has been named North Carolina’s 2016 Organization of the Year by the Human Rights Campaign.
The award, according to the HRC’s website, is “given to an organization that has furthered the progress for civil rights for LGBT people in North Carolina,” continuing, “The organization should have created and sustained policies and practices that work to end discrimination against LGBT people and exemplifies the mission and vision of HRC.”
“In what has been a historic year for the group formerly known as the Charlotte Business Guild, the Charlotte LGBT Chamber of Commerce has been named the Human Rights Campaign’s Organization of the Year,” the org said in a press release. “This award comes on the heels of an announcement of the Chamber’s President, Chad Turner winning the Person of the Year Award by qnotes, the area’s largest LGBT newspaper.”
“This is yet another moment in our organizational history that allows us to realize that we have become more than a social networking club, but moved far beyond into making an impact across our city and state in the area of equality and business,” said Turner in an email to the chamber’s Board of Directors announcing the award.
The Charlotte LGBT Chamber of Commerce has seen an increase in membership of nearly 40 percent since Turner took office. The group creates a network for its members to connect with local business members as well as larger business organizations outside of Charlotte. They also fight for equality in Charlotte, North Carolina and beyond.
The HRC will present the award at their annual gala in February.