CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As Pride Month comes to an end, WCNC Charlotte is looking further than the celebrations, to the tough conversations.
Its why WCNC Charlotte's Kia Murray sat down with the Charlotte Metro Network of the Carolinas LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce to talk about diversity efforts across the Carolinas as diversity, equity and inclusion remains a growing issue across the country.
For Bethany Corrigan, it starts with a mission.
"Our mission is to foster equity, inclusion and economic prosperity for LGBTQ communities," Corrigan said.
The issue itself has made national headlines.
Just this week, President Joe Biden pardoned former U.S. service members convicted of violating a now-repealed military ban on consensual gay sex.
"Joe took another step to right those decades of injustice," First Lady Jill Biden said from the South Lawn of the White House. "Pardoning many service members who were court-martialed for being simply being themselves -- honoring those heroes.”
It comes as 2023 saw the Supreme Court strike down affirmative action in college admissions. The move started a domino effect of lawsuits and legal questions against company diversity programs.
Forbes has reported that study after study shows diverse-led organizations are 39% more likely to outperform those lacking diversity, and 12 times more likely to both engage and retain employees.
It’s part of the reason why Corrigan said when it comes to that mission, there’s still work to be done.
"To make sure that LGBTQ people are included in conversations around our economic development," they said.
Contact Kia Murray at kmurray@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.