More than 900 professionals are expected to attend a summit in Denver today to address workplace equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers.
Companies from around the country will share information on methods they use to assure that all employees are treated the same. The event runs Thursday through Saturday at the Adam’s Mark.
Information gleaned by participants in the annual Out & Equal Workplace Summit has helped to improve the work environment of millions of non-heterosexual workers, said Emily Jones, co-chairwoman of the business counsel of the Human Rights Campaign.
“This is a showcase of best practices,” she said.
In 2003, only 13 corporations received perfect scores for their treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. This year 101 companies – among them Molson Coors Brewing Co., with joint headquarters in Montreal and Denver – had perfect scores on the group’s corporate equality index.
Lisa Vitale, a heterosexual woman who works at Rochester, N.Y.-based Eastman Kodak Co., said employees who feel free to disclose their sexual orientation in the workplace are more productive. “People who are able to come out are not spending their energy hiding who they are, and they can excel at work,” she said.
Highlights of the two-day event include workshops about issues effecting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees and keynote speakers from business, government and entertainment. Speakers include:
Denver software entrepreneur Tim Gill, founder of the Gill Foundation.
Actor B.D. Wong.
U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.
Judy Shepard, mother of gay hate-crime victim Matthew Shepard.
Staff writer Tom McGhee can be reached at 303-820-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com.
