New York City Bill Would Help LGBT-Owned Businesses Compete for Public Contracts

Wall Street Journal ^ | February 27, 2019 | Katie Honan

[reaganaut1]

New York City Councilman Ritchie Torres will introduce a bill Thursday that would certify lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-owned businesses through the city, allowing them to tap into a program to help underserved groups compete for government contracts.

The bill calls for the Department of Small Businesses Services’ Division of Economic and Financial Opportunity to certify these businesses, as the agency does already in an effort to promote equity and opportunity among minority and women-owned businesses.

Other cities like Nashville, Tenn., and states, including Massachusetts and California, already extend this type of certification to LGBT-owned businesses, according to Mr. Torres.

Mr. Torres said LGBT businesses are missing out on contracting opportunities without certification.

“Even though the LGBT community creates immense economic activity to the city, and the city is known as a bastion of LGBTQ equality, there’s no certification that recognizes LGBTQ business as part of the diversity of the marketplace,” he said.

“There are corporations looking for greater LGBT diversity in their contracting, and there are LGBT businesses looking for more opportunities,” Mr. Torres added. “A certification would be a way to bridge the gap.”

In 2016, Mayor Bill de Blasio strengthened the city’s Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises program, creating a separate office and making it easier for these groups to apply for city contracts. He set a goal of 30% of the dollar amount of all city contracts to be given to these businesses by 2021, and made it easier for the businesses to secure loans through the city.

A spokesman for Mr. de Blasio, Raul Contreras, said the mayor’s office looked forward to reviewing the bill.

[reaganaut1]

Sodomy has become a qualification in parts of the country. Nothing was stopping LGBT-owned businesses from competing for contracts, but they want preferences in addition to that.

The Wikipedia entry for Torres says he's gay. He's a black guy with a Hispanic surname. Why isn't he running for the Democratic presidential nomination? Only a Black Hispanic lesbian could be more qualified.

[phothus]

they want to have shell corporations that do nothing more than bid on contracts and farm them out to firms with real employees who do the work — just like the AA, minority, and women owned firms that flock to every big city procurement mess

[Regulator]

Even more Un-Constitutional then all the other anti-white, Christian male discrimination schemes

Homosexuality is a behavioral choice, not a gene like skin color. No one should get a preference for behavior that the larger society disagrees with: is there an Affirmative Action set aside for bank robbers?

We all know what’s next: recognition for pedophiles.

[GraceG]

Here is the thing, there is no form to fill out to claim you are a Gay or a Bisexual and you could sue them if they ask for proof.

So what is to stop any business owner from saying:

I’m Gay

I’m Bisexual

I’m a Man who wants to be a Lesbian who dresses really butch

NOTHING!

Nothing is stopping male teenagers from winning womens sports... why should this be any different???

I mean anyone could claim to be bisexual, but you are are happy with your hetrosexual wife/husband.

There is no way they can disprove it and deny you preference, because it is feelings...

They seek to subvert normalcy, at some point we have to “Hack Back” to use a computer term.

[july4thfreedomfoundation]

If they really wanted to help a worthy minority in New York City, they should give government contracts to businesses owned by white, conservative, heterosexual men.

Probably difficult to locate such men in NYC (except for Staten Island).

[Clutch Martin]

And The sisterhood gets shoved to the sidelines even more than they were before. It damnable at the very least

[StAnDeliver]

"they want to have shell corporations that do nothing more than bid on contracts and farm them out to firms with real employees who do the work — just like the AA, minority, and women owned firms that flock to every big city procurement mess"

That's all it is, exactly. Never get caught.

[ronnie raygun]

Its not who you are but WHAT you are that excels you to greater heights. First it was minority owned businesses went to the front of the line, didn't matter what shape the company was in, how many employees legal and non, legit finances, in good standings, if you were black or brown that's it your in! Now its the gays turn.

[rhoda_penmark]

“It’s not who you know, but who you blow” is not a recent concept.

[joma89]

All animals are equal just some animals are more equal than others.

JoMa

[monkeyshine]

What about gay people who don’t want to come out? They get the shaft? (pardon the pun).

[kearnyirish2]

You left out women; the economic war on whites put them ahead as well. White women fail to see more and more are dying childless because we have laws that marginalize their male peers first in education then the workplace.

I hope it is worthwhile for them; in dealing with the old spinsters as my job it appears it wasn’t. They are taxed for the children of their non-white peers and subordinates.

[Salman]

It used to be a dirty joke, now it's just dirty but no joke.

Whose d**k do you have to suck to do business in this town?

[WASCWatch]

There will be lawsuits and the plaintiffs who are denied contracts to favored groups will win.