It is beyond stating the obvious that Austin is experiencing an economic boom. Even while the rest of the country licks its self-inflicted wounds over the maybe-it-is, maybe-it-isn’t recession, Austin continues to prosper.

This is not going unnoticed nationwide. In May, Forbes listed Austin the third most recession-proof city in America with the other half of our burgeoning megalopolis, San Antonio, coming in second (Oklahoma City came in first). With all of this economic power staying in Central Texas, Austin’s LGBT community is building up, both figuratively and literally.

In this Pride issue of Forward Austin, we examine the transformation we are experiencing every day, both for Austin and its gay community. While Austin itself is going through a very visible and sometimes painful growth spurt, the LGBT community is growing in a more invisible but equally substantive way. While one might argue that Austin, the U.S. city with the sixth-highest concentration of LGBT people, could not possibly grow any more, the truth is that the organizations that make up our sprawling virtual community have struggled mightily in the past and, while making significant gains, still have farther to go.

Of course, the elephant in the well-decorated gay living room is that without a gay neighborhood, the LGBT community sits on the point of a double-edged sword. Austin’s wonderful laissez-faire culture supports the gay community in all corners and all neighborhoods, leaving none of our fair city’s blessings out of reach. However, integration comes with a price. Without that physical center of being, the structures that support the gay community are forced to span wider and wider gaps, often collapsing under their own weight before they had a chance to fully form. At the end of the day, neither I nor the AGLCC advocates for or against a “gayborhood,” but merely recognizes the role our chamber of commerce has in keeping our community prosperous and supporting our unique cultural pursuits.

This is why the AGLCC is the only LGBT chamber producing a Pride parade; still the only chamber publishing a magazine; and the only chamber to bring together major LGBT organizations in its program called the Pride Coalition. Our responsibility to the city and to our community requires more than a successful networking event provides. By supporting gay-owned and gay-friendly businesses, we create more jobs in gay-supportive companies; develop stronger and more generous LGBT donors; and facilitate a culture that both celebrates the gay community and respects our economic strength.

Do your part, and celebrate Pride by supporting the advertisers in this magazine and the chamber members in the business listings. In this way, Pride celebration is not limited to one weekend in June, but is an exercise in building community that lasts year-round.

A Letter from the President