The Importance of Safe Spaces

Gordon Bellamy and Kobie Fuller take the stage to discuss how they grew their inclusive, pride-focused communities. Gordon speaks about the queer industry unitedly coming out and removing the anonymity that previously existed. Within the Gay Gaming Community, Gordon created ‘Default Spaces’ to create a place for people of different orientations, expressions, or identities to connect and be authentically themselves, without being identified by labels. The nonprofit community provides scholarships, resources, and employment for those marginalized or underrepresented. Gordon’s final piece of advice was, “There’s a difference between waiting for the world to act on you and waiting to act on the world.” Kobie Fuller, the Co-Founder of Valence, then dives into how he developed a solution to the underrepresented black individuals in the corporate setting. He created an interactive database of black talent to celebrate and showcase talented and admirable individuals who previously went unnoticed. Kobie invested $1 million into this product and watched the community grow from a mere 3,000 members to 11,000 and counting. The recent Black Lives Matter movement greatly impacted black community growth and brought black individuals together to unite in power and support. Gordon and Kobie end with reiterating the importance of self-realization and having pride in who you are and what you stand for. Who is this episode for?: Non Profit, In Person & Online, Starting 3 key takeaways: - Self-realization and having pride in who and what you are is key to community growth and establishing authenticity. - Gordon emphasized the importance of ‘default spaces’ to ensure all members are recognized for who they truly are, rather than their label. - Kobie discusses the need to associate being black with positivity and not as a setback, and using that self-realization to unite in power with other black individuals.