Out & Equal Virtual Summit 

Course dates: February 5, 12, 26 March 12, 19, 26 Time: 1pm - 2:15pm

During the 2012 Annual Out & Equal Summit, we experienced Hurricane Sandy and although over 1400 were able to attend, our featured panel and workshop sessions were disrupted.  Many presenters couldn’t get to the Summit and many who wanted to attend were not able to get to Baltimore and missed the workshops that were held.  We also know that during the Summit, there are many choices and some of the sessions, attendees just couldn’t make it to all the sessions they wanted.

 So we are hosting a Virtual Summit, our Hurricane Series, that will bring online webinars of some of the highest rated workshops or those that were cancelled due to the storm. These will be free live webinars that you can enroll in whether you registered for the Summit or not.  Wishing you could share the experiences you had at Summit with your other colleagues?  This series can bring the Summit home and provide a platform for discussions within your Employee Resource Group.  Thinking about attending in 2013?  This is also a great opportunity to see the caliber of workshops that are presented at the annual Summit.

 The Hurricane Series will be on Tuesdays, beginning February 5, at 1:00pm Pacific and will be held the subsequent Tuesday’s (February 12, 26, March 5, 12, 19).  Each session will be 75 minutes long and will be free to join in the live webinars on those days.  After the series is completed in March, the individual and series archived recordings will be available for a small fee.  To ensure you get all the updates on the series schedule, please register now for our Virtual Summit.

 Here are the descriptions of the workshops that will be presented:

 February 5 - From Sinners to Saints: How Heterosexual, Evangelical Christians Become Allies

Terry H. Hildebrandt, PhD, PCC, Executive Coach and Organization Development Consultant

Learn how LGBT coworkers, along with out, LGBT Christians (yes, you can be both LGBT and Christian!), play a key role in enabling heterosexual Christians to become allies and advocates at work and at church. Also learn how to recognize the stages of the journey from anti-gay to pro-gay based on the findings of a recent qualitative doctoral research study. Hear the compelling stories of the study participants and learn the key events that changed their attitudes and beliefs. Understand the concerns and dilemmas that many Christians struggle with regarding LGBT acceptance and find out how you can effectively support them in resolving these concerns. In small group breakouts, explore supportive actions that you can take at each stage of their journey from anti-gay to pro-gay.

LEVEL: Introductory / TRACK: Allies / TARGET AUDIENCE: General Audience members

 February 12 - Life Cycle of Domestic Partner Benefits

Todd A. Solomon & Brian Tiemann, McDermott Will & Emery LLP

This workshop, led by a domestic partner benefits expert who literally wrote the book on the subject, will cover the top ten “cutting edge” issues in domestic partner benefits. Learn about changes employers are making to their enrollment process, including requiring less proof of partnerships and more information from employees in order to properly tax benefits. Hear about employer experiences with offering benefits for transgender employees, including IRS guidance on the taxation of such benefits. Discuss how progressive employers are structuring tax gross-ups and the considerations in implementing this feature. Learn how employers are dealing with claims by opposite-sex partners and potential discrimination concerns. The workshop will be useful for all employers, from those with comprehensive benefits to those considering implementing domestic partner benefits.

LEVEL: Intermediate / TRACK: Policy & Benefits TARGET AUDIENCE: HR and Diversity Professionals

February 26 - Intersections of Ability, Orientation, and Identity

Nadine Vogel, Springboard Consulting; Deborah Dagit, Deb Dagit Diversity; Geri Jewell, actress, author, disability advocate; Kathleen Martinez, Assistant Secretary of Labor

This panel explores the shared issues and unique perspectives of being differently abled and identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender in the workplace. Nadine Vogel, a leading expert and advocate for mainstreaming disability in the global workforce moderates a panel for this important conversation.

March 12 - Influencing Senior Leaders, Impacting the Business 

**Please note: This Virtual Summit session will begin at 1:15PM Pacific

Alexis Kantor, Co-lead of the LGBTA Business Council 2010-2012 and Director of Product Development

Target's Employee Resource Group developed organically like many others, as employees with similar backgrounds came together to socialize and compare work experiences. However, Target's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Ally Business Council has positioned itself as a trusted advisor on strategic actions and impacted bottom line results.

LEVEL: Intermediate / TRACK: Employee Resource Group TARGET AUDIENCE: Employee Resource Group members

March 19 - Helping ERGs Embrace the B and T

Amy Clements, Brielle Darynn

Does your Employee Resource Group’s (ERG) alphabet begin with G and end with L? While your ERG may have the best intentions, it could be accidentally excluding others. Even the best ERG can become more inclusive. This workshop, facilitated by a bisexual and a transgender woman, will include a forum to share ways to make your ERG more inclusive of sexual and gender diversity while helping to build equality. Greater ERG diversity can help your company attract and retain top talent.

LEVEL: Introductory / TRACK: Professional Development / TARGET AUDIENCE: General Audience

 

April 16 -  LGBT Employee Resource Group (ERG) of the Year: The Experience of Outie Award Winners

Moderator: Nancy Mace / Director of Community Empowerment, Out & Equal Panelists include: previous LGBT ERG of the Year Outie award representatives

The Out & Equal Outie awards recognize excellence and best practices of individuals, groups and companies that strive to achieve LGBT workplace equality.  The LGBT ERG award winners come from diverse sectors and perspectives but all highlight the work they are doing to change their workplace.  This panel features the recent winners of the LGBT ERG of the Year Outie Award who will talking about their leading practices, what they did to highlight themselves as successful ERGs, and how winning the award impacted them.  This is a chance to hear what other ERGs are doing and to ask questions on how to take your own ERG to the next level.

LEVEL: Intermediate / TRACK: Research & Metrics TARGET AUDIENCE: HR and Diversity Professionals

Register Now!