The fruit of sucess
Sydney's gay and lesbian professionals account for a healthy slice of the city's most successful business minds. Between their fruits in suits and lemons with a twist, the Sydney Gay And Lesbian Business Association keep it in the family
By Andrew Georgiou
Mixing it up at monthly events
When the SGLBA opened its doors 27 years ago, it was a mixed affair which saw just a few lesbians bobbing in a sea of gay men. The networking and social night – known as Fruits In Suits – primarily catered for gay men in the business world inviting both sole traders and company employees alike to mingle.
“We are just as much a social night as we are a networking one,” says Scott Quine, president of the SGLBA. “We get between 250 and 300 people at our monthly gatherings.”
Now in its 14th year, this fruit salad of gay professionals, gathers monthly on Thursday evenings at Oxford Street’s Slide Lounge. “This is a great venue, which caters to us perfectly. We have a drink, unwind after work and get to see familiar faces of our members as well as new recruits,” Quine says.
After the first five years of Fruits In Suits’ success, the SGLBA decided to launch a lesbian version of the
networking night, aptly named Lemons With A Twist. Mary Shalala, current president of Lemons, and one of Australia’s leading female mortgage brokers, says the organisation is a place where lesbian women can meet their peers from a variety of different professions and talk shop. “The age range at Lemons is mid-twenties to mid-forties,” says Shalala. “There is an incredibly wide range of businesses represented by our members and these include hairdressers, event coordinators, medical practitioners, lawyers, accountants, brokers and architects. The list is endless.”
Shalala makes the point that even today, certain professions are keeping employees from coming out.
“There are business sectors that make life incredibly difficult and to some degree quite threatening for
lesbians to be out in. One such sector is the Catholic schools where horror stories are often shared among the lesbians working under their banner.”
She is confident that even small-minded sectors will one day reflect societies changing attitudes towards gay professionals. “While discrimination still exists and perhaps always will, I think it’s safe to say that we are seeing an improvement in acceptance amongst the wider community.”
Both Fruits In Suits and Lemons With A Twist play a significant role in the community with their contribution to a number of charities. These fruits give plenty back through fundraising events from their Good Works Fund to needy organsations and charities such as Twenty10, The Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby, and The Luncheon Club.
In between talks of corporate takeovers there is plenty of time for cruising, and both Fruits and Lemons can get very cosy mid-way through the night. “Love has been in the air more often than not at Lemons,” Shalala confesses. “Many of the woman attend on a regular basis and over time will form close friendships and get to know individuals on a personal level. There are many woman who have found their life partners through the Lemons as well as other SGLBA events.” It seems the same shenanigans can be found at Fruits In Suits. “We have had both professional and personal partnerships come out of a night at Fruits,” Quine laughs.
More on both Fruit In Suits and Lemons With A Twist at www.gaybusiness.com.au/sglba/