B Lab is moving its annual retreat to Philly from North Carolina because of HB2

When intolerance and hate happen elsewhere, the LGBTQ community of Philadelphia steps up. We know this. It turns out that others do, too.

We reported back in April that B Lab, the nonprofit that certifies companies as B Corps, would be moving October’s B Corp Champions Retreat from its planned location in North Carolina due to the state’s passage of the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act (aka HB2), which bars transgender individuals from using public bathrooms that do not match the sex noted on their birth certificates.

Now, the international gathering of B Corp CEOs and other leaders is happening a little closer to the Wayne, Pa.-based company’s home: Philadelphia.

The city was chosen as the new site of the retreat because of its track record of inclusion, according to Vale Jokisch, B Lab’s director of services.

“We evaluated several cities as alternate locations, and ultimately selected Philadelphia for its progressive practices and policies that support inclusion as well as the historical symbolism of the city as the place where the Declaration of Independence, [one] of many global documents that inspired our community’s Declaration of Interdependence, was signed,” she said.

Only members of Certified B Corps can attend the retreat, but B Lab will be hosting a concurrent public event called “B Inspired” which will include “a series of TED-style talks by B Corp leaders from around the world,” Jokisch said.

Local B Corp leaders are also helping B Lab plan tours of the city and “community service activities” for the retreat’s international visitors.