On Thursday, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner signed an executive order aimed at expanding the city’s contracting with LGBT-owned businesses.
“The signing of this executive order coincides with the five-year anniversary of the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber, and I am especially proud to celebrate these two historic milestones,” said Turner in a statement. “The City of Houston has always been committed to providing fair and equal access to economic and contracting opportunities to all eligible businesses – and we are proud to formally memorialize this commitment to the LGBT community.”
The executive order makes Houston the first city in Texas to create an initiative to intentionally expand its inclusion of LGBT-owned businesses in municipal contracting and procurement opportunities.
The executive order comes just a week after Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick released his list of 2021 legislative priorities for the state, including a bill to limit transgender students’ access to school sports.
Catch a video of the press conference and signing below.
