The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, is teaming with Electronic Arts Inc. and Out & Equal Workplace Advocates to present an educational forum concerning LGBT workplace equality. The event will be hosted at Electronic Arts on February 5, 2008 from 4:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time. The Workplace Panel will begin with keynotes by Electronic Arts and Nike CIO & VP IT Roland Paanakker.
The panels will include representatives from:
* Chevron Corporation
* Cisco Systems, Inc.
* Electronic Arts, Inc.,
* Intuit, Inc.
* Levi Strauss & Co.
* Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.
* Nike, Inc.,
* Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
“Our organization is honored to host this first event in a series dedicated to the rights of LGBT professionals in the workplace,” said Brad Herbert, Vice President of Human Resources for Electronic Arts. “We are proud supporters of our LGBT employees, and are thrilled to partner with other Fortune 500 leaders in sharing best practices and guidelines for building an inclusive environment.”
The goal of the Workplace Panel is to provide a model for future educational sessions to discuss the unique issues faced by the LGBT community at work, and to share best practices companies have uncovered to hire, retain, and support LGBT professionals.
“We want to empower employees and the public to be advocates for LGBT equality,” said Daryl Herrschaft, Director of HRC’s Workplace Project. “By partnering with fair-minded companies we can learn from their accomplishments and keep forward momentum for equal treatment in the workplace.”
“For more than the last decade, private businesses have been leading the rest of the country when it comes to acceptance and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people,” said Selisse Berry, Executive Director of Out & Equal Workplace Advocates. “And this has happened because the most successful and innovative employers have come to understand that a diverse and welcoming workplace has positive impact on the bottom line and makes for a more enjoyable workplace experience. We’re thrilled, as always, to learn from leaders in the world of business what programs and objectives have been useful in fostering equitable, thriving and LGBT-inclusive environments.”
WHAT: LGBT Workplace Forum
WHEN: Tuesday, February 5, 2008, from 4:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
WHERE: Electronic Arts, 250 Shoreline Drive, Redwood City, CA 94065
For more information on this event, visit: www.hrc.org/workplacepanel and www.outandequal.org.
