wbjournal.com | September 13, 2021 | Worcester Business Journal 33
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for the couple who believed as advocates
and activists in the local queer communi-
ty, it was important for them to be visible.
"It is super important for young
LGBTQ+ individuals, kids, teens, youths,
young people, to be able to see others in
the community who are out and making a
change in the community," Marotta said.
Marotta said having such a personal
part of your life out in public can be
daunting. e potential, negative, finan-
cial impact from people who are intol-
erant is a fear for many LGBTQ+owned
organizations.
"In an ideal world, the flow of philan-
thropy would reflect the greatest human
needs in our communities, and would
reflect the values and belief systems
of those who are serving the commu-
nity members in need," Marotta said.
"Sometimes, however, we see personal
belief systems and deeply rooted biases
that directly affect where the funds are
allocated, which can be problematic."
W
D I V E R S I T Y & I N C L U S I O N F O C U S
PHOTO/EDD COTE
By identifying
their companies
as LGBTQ+,
Croke wants to
encourage more
business owners
to embrace their
true selves.
