Diversity News

2,300 participants attend Summit to discuss workplace issues and honor leaders at the annual "Outie" awards

AUSTIN, TX and SAN FRANCISCO, CA - September 15, 2008 - PepsiCo, Goldman Sachs and New York City Comptroller and longtime ally William C. Thompson, Jr. received Out & Equal Workplace Awards (commonly known as "Outies") on September 12 from Out & Equal for advancing fair, safe and equitable work environments for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.

The Out & Equal Workplace Awards were presented at the annual Out & Equal Workplace Summit, the premier LGBT workplace conference that attracted 2,300 participants who shared best practices on how to advance workplace equality for all. LGBT employees and allies, along with human resources and diversity professional, many representing Fortune 500 companies, participated in the Summit.

Other recipients of the "Outie" Award presented at the Summit gala awards dinner included Chris Crespo of Ernst & Young and Hewlett-Packard's LGBT employee resource group (ERG), HP PRIDE. The winners were chosen from a competitive slate of nominees and voted on by an independent panel of experts from companies and nonprofits that set the standard for LGBT workplace equality.

The workplace is more LGBT-friendly than at any time in history. Statistics show that more than 500 major companies today provide protections for employees from discrimination in hiring and firing on the basis of sexual orientation; 463 businesses offer domestic partner benefits to their same-sex employees; and 300 companies prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity and/or expression. Yet the reality remains that there is still no federal law that provides employment nondiscrimination. Because there is no federal law in place, LGBT people can still be legally fired in 30 states.

To review key findings from the Out & Equal Workplace Survey, whose outcomes are captured for the first time in a comprehensive Workplace Culture Report, visit www.outandequal.org/news.

"The Summit convened the best corporate and community minds so that employees can return to work with the practical tools they need to help build fair, safe and equitable workplaces," said Selisse Berry, founding executive director for Out & Equal. "The award winners' visionary leadership and forward-thinking programs are helping to create a world where equal means equal. By embracing diversity and equality, companies become stronger and lives are changed for the better."

Workplace Excellence Award

PepsiCo
PepsiCo is helping define what's next for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and ally (LGBTA) groups by leading the way with initiatives that continue to raise the bar through broader involvement and corporate giving. A clear and consistent vision, along with communication from senior leadership was paramount to the LGBT initiatives' success. The PepsiCo LGBT network (EQUAL) represents 160,000 employees worldwide and its four chapters span all company brand holdings. Though each chapter has its own organizational structure, an EQUAL website helps employees participate regardless of division or geographic location. In 2002, PepsiCo added sexual orientation to the companywide EEO statement; in 2004 gender identity and expression, along with domestic partner benefits were added. Over the past year, they have contributed more than $1 million to help create safe and equitable work environments through two programs: "Straight for Equality," a program designed to provide businesses with tools and resource linkages at a grassroots level; and "LGBT Inclusion Toolkit for Corporate America," a program to design, test and deliver cutting-edge tools and resources aimed at advancing workplace equality and foster the next of LGBT inclusion. In addition, their AIDS Task Force is reaching out to employees and the broader community of people touched by HIV/AIDS.

Out & Equal™ Workplace Advocates is a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization headquartered in San Francisco, California. Out & Equal champions safe and equitable workplaces for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. The organization advocates building and strengthening successful organizations that value all employees, customers, and communities.