WASHINGTON – Today, Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the voice for America’s 32.5 million small businesses in President Biden’s cabinet, issued the following statement to highlight the celebration of Pride Month.
“Pride month is a time of celebration for the LGBTQ+ community and their contributions in building a better, stronger economy – and it’s also a reminder of the progress we are still fighting to achieve. Equity is a top priority for me and for the Biden-Harris Administration, and we believe all of America’s entrepreneurs deserve a level playing field, regardless of zip code, race, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation. During COVID, we’ve learned how critical equitable access is surviving and thriving, and at the SBA we are working to build better connections to and for the 1.4 million LGBTQ+ owned businesses in communities across this country. LGBTQ+ businesses already generate more than $1.7 trillion dollars in US economic impact and support tens of thousands of jobs – and that number continues to grow. In order to drive even greater economic empowerment of the LGBTQ+ community, we need to connect entrepreneurs to the capital and resources they need to start and grow their businesses, and the SBA is working to do that each day through our district offices, resource partners, our Community Navigators program, and more.”