Married couple Jennie Doran and Andrew Gorell, owners of the speciality boutique Room Service in Ohio City, OH, ensure that their store carries products of all different varieties: apparel, gifts, antiques, home goods, and more. The store has been open for ten years, and in that time, Jennie and Andrew have made personal, long-lasting connections with hundreds of customers. Although they are personally welcoming and supportive of LGBTQ people, Ohio overall lacks a statewide nondiscrimination law that protects LGBTQ people, leaving them vulnerable to discrimination. To Jennie and Andrew, this is purely unacceptable.

“As a business owner it is my job to be a part of a welcoming, inclusive community; my face, my work, is on this street and in this place every day, and it is my responsibility to represent all that is good and fair about people in this community,” Jennie said. The couple remains firm in their commitment to be appreciative of every customer who walks through their doors and hope that in the near future, LGBTQ people will be free to patronize any and all businesses with the knowledge that they are protected under the law.