Business to Everyone” signs became a sensation. During the peak of SB 1062, ONE Community distributed more than 3,500 signs in less than 72 hours. The sign was shared more than 100,000 times on the Internet, and individuals and businesses throughout Arizona posted it in their homes, offices and stores. “I like to say that we’re an overnight sensation five years in the making,” Hughey said. “We had been doing this for five years and the next thing you know we’re on the national news and anchors are quoting from our website.” ONE Community’s time had arrived. In July 2014, nonprofit paperwork in hand, they received the first educational grant for ONE Community Foundation, which works in tandem with ONE Community. “The foundation is really important, because you have to have gas in the car. The foundation lays the educational foundation for ONE Community to do the actionable work that we do,” Hughey said. Today, the foundation takes an all-inclusive approach to educating the general public, business leaders, faith leaders and elected officials about why it’s important to update the state’s policies for both LGBTQ people and our state’s economic future. Though she grew up on an Arabian horse farm in Ohio, Hughey has been all-in for Arizona since she arrived in 1984. “If you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and put in a hard day’s work, the sky’s the limit here,” she said. “I don’t know that we could have started ONE Community in a different city but Phoenix, the fifth-largest city in the nation that still acts like a really big small town.” Hughey’s zeal for the state allows her to reach out to all Arizonans, finding ways to educate and form alliances. “So many times people say, ‘It’s this or it’s this’ and nine times out of 10 the answer is ‘yes’ and the answer is ‘and,’ ” she said. “We are one community. We’re Arizonans before we’re LGBTQ or allies.” The education work ONE Community Foundation does starts with the UNITY Pledge, which is today the largest equality pledge in the nation. To date, more than 3,200 businesses and organizations and over 20,000 everyday Arizonans have signed it. Business owners like Chris Bianco ( left ) have signed the UNITY Pledge. Co-founded in 2008 by Angela Hughey and Sheri Owens, ONE Community has evolved into one of the most powerful platforms for both business and LGBTQ communities. 22 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | SEPTEMBER 2019 COVER STORY CONTINUED 22 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | SEPTEMBER 2019

Still, Hughey and her team continually educate on the core value of equality. “We’ve always believed that when you start with what you have in common, the opportunity to say, ‘Yes, we really should be a state that treats all people, including people who are gay and transgender, fairly’ is pretty easy,” she said. Part of the work involves dispelling myths about the LGBTQ community. “The myth is that we are all swinging from a chandelier. All we have is sex, and we have more money than God,” Hughey laughed. “But we are just as boring as everyone else.” The a-ha moment for ONE Community Foundation came when they discovered research that shows when a person knows someone who is LGBTQ their propensity to vote against the group goes down, no matter the person’s political affiliation or religious beliefs. “If we can get rid of stereotypes and barriers that are fear-based, we can change things,” Hughey said. ONE Community Foundation’s pitch is based on numbers. (“My wife says I should have been a mathematician, because it’s all math,” Hughey said.) In 60 percent of the state, it’s not illegal to discriminate in employment, housing or public accommodations based on your sexual orientation or gender identity. “We’re losing 30 percent of our college graduates. If you look at Millennials, 20 percent identify as LGBTQ, and 63 percent are allies. If you look at Gen Z, 48 percent do not identify as wholly heterosexual. So we have a responsibility from a sustainability standpoint in the state of Arizona to make sure we welcome all people,” Hughey said. Not doing so puts Arizonans at risk, because we’re at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to business expansion, tourism, workforce development and business attraction, and the retention of top talent. Plus, as Hughey points out, the LGBTQ community is the most culturally diverse community in the world. “We’re every culture, every belief, every socioeconomic background,” she said. “ If we can get rid of stereotypes and barriers that are fear-based, we can change things.” With the help of ONE Community, businesses across the state are taking a stand for equal protections across Arizona.