NEW ORLEANS, La. – New Orleans & Company, in partnership with the New Orleans LGBTQ Hospitality Alliance (NOLHA), is relaunching the 2019 “Everyone’s Welcome Here” campaign and asking local businesses to take a pledge to actively welcome LGBTQ+ visitors and people of all backgrounds and identities into the community.
Rainbow flag stickers are appearing in storefronts of local businesses proclaiming, “Everyone’s Welcome Here.” There is also a training program in place so business owners know exactly how to make inclusion a part of their day-to-day business and make guests feel welcome and respected.
Walter J. Leger, III, president and CEO of New Orleans & Company says, “For generations, New Orleans has been celebrated as a welcoming, inclusive destination for all and host to iconic LGBTQ+ events such as Southern Decadence. Our unique beauty comes not just from our diversity of cultures but also in the blending of those cultures to create something uniquely our own. In New Orleans, everyone is welcome, and diversity is celebrated. New Orleans has a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s MEI Scorecard, which measures inclusivity based on factors such as municipal services and LGBTQ leadership. This is not just a temporary campaign during Pride Month … inclusion is in our DNA.”
Dustin Woehrmann, president and creative director of community, a New Orleans strategic marketing agency, and a volunteer leader of the NOHLA says, “According to SAP CONCUR, 97 percent of the LGBTQ+ community are worried about their safety and discrimination when traveling. We know New Orleans has always been a welcoming city, so our top priority is making sure LGBTQ+ travelers feel safe, respected, supported, and free to be themselves. Displaying an ‘Everyone’s Welcome Here’ sticker at your business is doing exactly that.”
“Whether as a community organizer, a city council member, or as Mayor, I have been steadfast in my commitment to serve all people regardless of who they are or who they love,” says Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “… As a true ally who has led the charge and been on the frontlines with our community partners and organizations, everyone will always be loved and accepted here in New Orleans, and I will continue to do my part to make [the city] a place that is more inclusive, more equitable, and more diverse as a whole.”
Business owners who want to join Everyone’s Welcome Here or want more information can visit neworleans.com/welcoming.
