International gay
chamber of commerce to open HQ in Montreal

The headquarters of the International Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce will open in Montreal this January and serve as a source of aid for other countries trying to establish their own gay chambers of commerce. The chamber was founded during the Outgames last summer and met in Hamburg, Germany, this week for the first time, reports The [Montreal] Gazette. "Montreal has been chosen for its international vocation, its safe and politically neutral location, in addition to being a symbol of the kind of openness all [LGBT] communities aspire to," said the chamber in a statement. According to spokesperson Audrey Nanot, the headquarters will employ five people. The chamber's founding countries are Canada, France, England, Austria, Denmark, Mexico, the United States, Switzerland, and Germany. (The Advocate)