Jul 17, 2009  |  By: Staff & Wire Reports  | COMMENTS     

Ken White is the new president of the Capital Area Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (CAGLCC). The 45-year-old Pasadena, Calif., native has been involved with the Chamber for about four years and discovered it while working on a project with the D.C. Mayor’s Office of LGBT Affairs with Joe Kapp, the Chamber’s former president.

“Chambers are always based on a certain community,” White says. “It could be the black community or the Asian community. It’s a way for us to band together economically.”

White has 30 years of banking experience and is the vice president of business banking at M&T Bank at its Upper Marlboro, Md., branch. White lives in nearby Mitchellville, Md., with his German Shepherd, Mocha and has been in the Washington area 13 years. He’s single and enjoys singing and bowling when he’s not working. So why the name change from PEN (Potomac Executive Network) to CAGLCC (White says not to make the new acronym a word)?

“We thought it was important to have gay and lesbian in the name now,” White says. “We don’t have to be incognito anymore.”

How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell? I have been out for 22 years and my best friend from high school was the most difficult to tell. We’re still best friends 32 years and counting.

Who’s your gay hero? The author James Baldwin.

What is Washington’s best nightspot, past or present? I like Freddie’s Beach Bar.

If gay marriage were legal, would you tie the knot? Yes, but not yet.

What non-gay issue are you most passionate about? Literacy and education.

What historical outcome would you change? The assassination of MLK.

What has been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime? Attending the last WHAM! concert.

On what reality TV show would you fare best? “So You Think You Can Dance”

What item of clothing has been in your closet since high school? My 501 button-fly Levi’s.

If your life were a book, what would the title be? “A Wing and a Prayer: If They Only Knew What I Didn’t Know”
 
If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do? Nothing.

What do you believe in beyond the physical world? A heaven populated by people of all beliefs.

What would you order for your last meal? Tuna sashimi and filet mignon.

What would you walk across hot coals for? To end prejudice.
 
What gay stereotype annoys you most? That all gay people are the same.

What is the best gay film ever made? “Latter Days”

What is the most overrated social custom? Exchanging gifts for Christmas.

What trophy or prize do you most covet? U.S. Small Business Administration’s Financial Services Advocate of the Year.

What’s your advice for gay teens? Respect, love and honor yourself.

Why Washington? It’s where people make things happen.