Phoenix-area city’s tourism office gifted inaugural award from local LGBT publication
Feb 7, 2016, 2:00 PM
Carlos McKnight of Washington, waves a flag in support of gay marriage outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, Friday June 26, 2015. A major opinion on gay marriage is among the remaining to be released before the term ends at the end of June. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
PHOENIX — A tourism office in the Phoenix area has been honored with the inaugural award from a local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender publication, according to the Phoenix Business Journal.
The Tempe Tourism Office received the first-ever Founding Client Award from Pride Guide, a local publication that showcases LGBT-friendly businesses in the state.
Pride Guide Publisher Michael McFall said the office has been a supporter of the LGBT community and the publication since the guide’s initial launch in 2006.
“This award is not just presented to a client who has been with us from the beginning, but also a client who used their talents and connections to push the Pride Guide to become what is today,” he said in an interview with the Phoenix Business Journal.
According to the article, the Phoenix-area city has been attracting LGBT community members to the area since 2003, when it joined the Greater Phoenix Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.
Tempe passed anti-discrimination ordinances for employment, housing and public service in 2014, signifying a huge shift in the city’s LGBT-friendly measures.
The efforts of city officials have paid off: Tempe was also one of three Arizona cities that received a perfect score in the Human Rights Campaign’s 2015 Municipal Equality Index report. Phoenix and Tucson joined the ranks as well.
Despite the efforts of individual cities, the state of Arizona has not quite caught up. Arizona ranked among the worst states in the nation for equality among LGBT residents, according to a Human Rights Campaign report.
