Seeking to fill the void since the collapse of the New Jersey Pride Chamber, former leader Gus Penaranda announced this week that he is forming the Evolvere NJ UNITY Chamber of Commerce.
Penaranda said the Evolvere NJ UNITY Chamber will focus on exercising the new law signed by Gov. Phil Murphy in May 2024 that legally recognizes LGBTQ+ businesses and expands the resources and opportunities to the estimated 50,000 LGBTQ+ businesses that call New Jersey home.
The Evolvere NJ UNITY Chamber will hold a launch party during the League of Municipalities this week in Atlantic City – Wednesday, from 4-6 p.m. at the ByrdCage on Atlantic Ave.
Penaranda, president and CEO of UNITY is already known among the states chamber leaders as he partnered with many of them during the fight for recognition from the state. As of today, New Jersey the only state that recognizes LGBTQ+ businesses in the country. It is estimated that the LGBTQ+ community contributes over 2 trillion dollars to the U.S. economy every year.
Penaranda, well known around the state for his advocacy on this issue, said he is focused on bringing much of the LGBTQ+ national economic power to the state.
“The law was just the beginning,” he told BINJE. “It made us visible in the eyes of the state.
“Now, we need a seat at the table and that requires an administration to respect us as an important part of the state’s economic fabric.”
