LGBTQ Employment Rights Going To Court This Summer

The Supreme Court will soon hand down its ruling on a trio of cases that will determine whether LGBTQ employees are protected from discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

This Summer, Out & Equal worked in coalition to bring together 206 major businesses on an amicus brief to the Supreme Court. The companies that signed on collectively represent more than 7 million employees and more than $5 trillion in revenue. Together, we sent the message that discrimination is not just wrong, it is also bad for businesses.

When the court delivers its ruling, it will decide:

• Whether Title VII prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation (SO); and,
• Whether Title VII prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity (GI).

The decision could fall generally into 4 scenarios, each with unique implications for our collective work:

  1. Win SO & Win GI
  2. Win SO & Lose GI
  3. Lose SO & Win GI
  4. Lose SO & Lose GI

I invite you to a briefing call this coming Thursday to learn more about these scenarios before the Supreme Court decision is released. This is a great opportunity for you to get ahead of the curve and start figuring out what actions you will want to take after a decision comes down.

Thursday, March 19th 4:00pm-5:00pm Eastern Daylight Time

RSVP for the Briefing Call

No matter what the court rules, we know that the business community will have an essential role to play going forward. There are critical gaps in civil rights protections for LGBTQ Americans that will remain even if the Supreme Court accepts our position. The Equality Act – the omnibus federal civil rights bill passed by the House of Representatives last spring – remains the best vehicle to close these gaps.

Out & Equal has remained in close touch with our coalition partners at the Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal, Freedom for All Americans, and Out Leadership. We have been thinking together about the different possible decisions by the Supreme Court and what the role of the business community would be in each instance. With you, our partners, we are strategizing for a more inclusive future.

Transgender Day of Visibility Employer’s Resources

Celebrating Transgender Day of Visibility. Out & Equal.

March 31st is Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) – a day where communities come together to honor and celebrate the accomplishments of transgender and gender non-conforming people. With TDOV less than a month away, I am reaching out to share with you a resource to help your organization participate and engage in this day of celebration. This resource should be a helpful tool for your organization’s year-round internal efforts for transgender inclusion and help guide your external communications around TDOV.  

Pride Night Out at the Wizards

Washington Wizards Pride Night

Pride Night OUT at the Wizards vs. Chicago Bulls!
Friday, March 6th, 2020.

Tickets only $25 each!
Contact Team DC HERE if you want tickets!

Special Guests: The Gay Men’s Chorus will sing the National Anthem!
Ticket includes a Pride giveaway item (TBA). Team DC will host a pregame party in the Devil’s Backbone Lounge starting at 6 PM. Join us for a GREAT Pride Night OUT!

Caps Night Out

Team DC Pride Night Out Capitals vs. Ottawa Senators
Tuesday, January 7, at 7 PM, Capital One Arena
Tickets just $55 each!

Get your Team DC Pride Night OUT tickets HERE and you will receive the exclusive All Caps Rainbow Flag (pictured) with each ticket purchased! These flags will only be available with tickets bought through this link or on the special Caps website which offers different seating options around the arena. The specific Team DC section will be all grouped together. Team DC is planning on a pre-game happy hour with the site TBD.

And for the remainder of the Caps season use this link to avoid all fees and get a free Caps shirt with your ticket.

Pride in Federal Service Summit

On Friday, October 18, we are hosting the first Pride in Federal Service Summit from 9 am – 5 pm ET at the Department of Interior Main Auditorium, 1849 C St NW Washington, D.C. Refer to the attached flyer for more info. Register to attend here: https://community.max.gov/x/_EQZYw. The event is free and open to government employees and contractors.
Please share the flyer with employee resource groups, special emphasis program managers, diversity and inclusion specialists, and networks in your agency.
This event will not be recorded and is not available for remote viewing.

Crowdfunding Alert: Coming Out Coming Home Queer Asian American Stories

My name is Cynthia Blancaflor and I am an award-winning, queer Asian American female filmmaker. I will document the “coming out” stories of people from Asian descent. I want to represent a range of ethnicities from Filipinos, from Southeast Asia to Nepalis and Indians, from South Asia and Korean and Japanese people, from East Asia.
HELP US reach our goal to produce our new film that will explore 5 queer Asian American coming out stories!! This story will touch lives, as well as help heal and empower our communities!! I want this story to inspire people to come out and live full, happy lives while receiving support from their community. I want this story to also build compassion and understanding of queer lives and our experiences. When you contribute, you will get a gift from us for your support. Thank you so much!
I want to help!

Meet Glo!

Glorimar's official photo

Glo will take over the duties previously performed by Sally Oh.  Kerry Snyder will assist Glo in making sure our affinity groups thrive.

Glorimar Maldonado is the Diversity Program Manager for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office at the U.S. Department of Commerce in Alexandria, VA. In this role, she provides policy review, technical guidance, data-driven analyses, and strategic leadership to recruit, retain and engage a prepared, diverse and sustainable workforce. Further, as an instructor, she conducts employment and professional/leadership development workshops and K-12 activities that promote careers in mathematics and the sciences.

Previously, Ms. Maldonado was the Interim Deputy Director for Talent Acquisition and the Chief Recruitment Officer for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In this role, she developed, reviewed and implemented policies, programs, and initiatives to streamline and improve federal hiring and retention practices, promote Diversity and Inclusion, and provide employment and professional development training to federal employees in various agencies.

Ms. Maldonado has also been a senior advisor for the Strategic Programs Office at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where she developed, implemented and managed Hispanic recruitment and outreach programs and initiatives. Additionally, prior to joining the CDC, she was the chief of staff for the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. In this role, she supervised the daily operations of the office, including strategic planning, social media campaigns, management of staff, and the development and implementation of Presidential outreach programs.
Ms. Maldonado holds a B.A. in English, history and psychology and an M.S in leadership.

Women’s History Month Event Today

You are cordially invited to attend the USPTO’s Women’s History Month Event
featuring women in innovation and the dedication of our auditorium. Remarks by Secretary of Commerce Wilbur L. Ross

March 5, 2019 | 4–5:30 PM
Networking reception following this event

Madison Auditorium or Livestream | See the USPTO Weekly for details
No “other time” is available for this event