THE TIMES, THEY ARE A CHANGING!

My friend forwarded this email to me. He works for a major multi-national corporation. I was thrilled that this company would see fit to send this to it's employees. I find it interesting that this was sent out the same week that the Republicans pulled their ban gay marriage crap. Anyway......to my gay friends.....the times, they are a changing!! Oh, also... I noticed the Notable GLBT people has none listed. Don't know what's up with that. Fill in the blanks, perhaps!




Diversity
06/08/2006 04:48 PM

To: All ________ US Employees
cc:
Subject: June Spotlight - Gay & Lesbian Pride Month


Please Post and Distribute

Please take all of the following actions to communicate the message below
to all of your U.S. employees.

Post copies at your location
Fax a copy with posting instructions to your other locations
Forward copies of this to your employees


“The clear trend in American business is toward greater acceptance
and inclusion of GLBT employees and consumers."

—Daryl Herrschaft, director of the Workplace Project for the Human Rights
Campaign.
The Associated Press, March 14, 2006


June is the designated month for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender
(GLBT) pride. This month recognizes the contributions of gay and lesbian
Americans and raises awareness about the struggle against intolerance. It
also commemorates a historic event known as the Stonewall Riots. On June
27, 1969, police raided Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, in Greenwich Village, New
York. The raid provoked three nights of rioting, which in turn spurred the
organization of gays and lesbians across the country in fighting
discrimination. In June 1999, on the 30th anniversary of the Stonewall
incident, President Clinton issued a Presidential Proclamation declaring
June as Gay and Lesbian Pride month. In the spirit of honoring equality
and freedom, President Clinton said,"I encourage all Americans to observe
this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies and activities that
celebrate our diversity, and to remember throughout the year the gay and
lesbian Americans whose many and varied contributions have enriched our
national life."

The total number of GLBT people in the United States is estimated to be
between 13 million and 17 million, according to major studies on the group.
Depending on the source, GLBT people represent anywhere from 3 percent to
10 percent of the total U.S. population. Both market researchers and
social science researchers believe this is a conservative estimate of the
actual GLBT population, since there is no way to derive a true count given
the challenge of relying on self-identification to tabulate the counts.
In 2002, GLBT adults totaled $451 billion in combined buying power and are
projected to reach $608 billion by 2007, a cumulative increase of more than
34 percent from 2002. The latest projection was developed by Witeck-Combs
Communications and MarketResearch.com.


According to Witeck, growth in the GLBT market is fueled in part by a
number of factors, including, the increased visibility of GLBT people over
time as society becomes more accepting, as well as incremental increases in
the number of households that identify as GLBT. Witeck said, "I've always
felt that there was an undercount [of GLBT households], and the
implications for the group's impact on the economy is underquoted."
According to data from the Census 2000, gay and lesbian households were
reported in virtually all counties in the United States, with same-sex
couples residing in 99.3 percent of all counties across America. The
report revealed that the mean income of gay men and lesbians in 2002 was
$38,431 and is projected to reach $46,757 by 2007.


In recent years, GLBT workers have lobbied for and received more fair
treatment in the corporate environment, resulting in an increased number of
companies that include non-discrimination policies that explicitly protect
GLBT employees. According to the Human Rights Campaign, a Washington,
D.C.-based advocacy group, 296 companies on the Fortune 500 list currently
have policies that address sexual orientation, while 172 Fortune 500
companies offer domestic-partnership benefits. By translating this
corporate citizenship into marketing strategies, businesses also express
how much they value their gay customers and shareholders.

__________, an equal opportunity employer, provides domestic partner health
insurance benefits (same-sex and opposite), has a written
non-discrimination policy covering gender identity and sexual orientation
in its employee handbook and offers diversity training that promotes
inclusiveness of all employees.

DiversityInc magazine publishes diversity related news content occurring in
the business world. Each year, the magazine showcases companies considered
diversity leaders in the market that successfully recruit diverse
employees, particularly people of color and gays/lesbians. These companies
instill a culture where employees feel comfortable and creative, and are
motivated to reach their potential. In their list of the top 50 companies
for diversity, the top ten companies listed below indicated they actively
recruited GLBT employees, had non-discrimination policies including sexual
orientation, and offered domestic-partnership benefits for same-sex
couples:

No. 1: Xerox

Also No. 4 on the Top 10 Companies for African Americans list and one of
DiversityInc's 25 Noteworthy Companies.

A longtime national leader of GLBT issues, Xerox tracks gay and lesbian
businesses in its supplier diversity database, includes sexual
orientation as well as gender identity in its published EEO statement
and lists GLBT awards in the employment section of its Web site. The
company has a 100 percent HRC rating.

No. 2: JPMorgan Chase

Also No. 11 on The DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity list,
No. 3 in the Top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity, No. 6 in the Top
10 Companies for Latinos and No. 3 in the Top 10 Companies for Executive
Women.

Also a long-time national leader, the bank's supplier diversity page
includes its certification by the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of
Commerce. It has emphasized its desire to reach gay and lesbian
borrowers and its nondiscrimination policy includes gender identity.
The company has a 100 percent HRC rating.

No. 3: AT&T

Also No. 4 in the Top 10 Companies for Recruitment & Retention, No. 4 in
the Top 10 Companies for Executive Women, No. 4 in the Top 10 Companies
for Latinos, No. 5 in the Top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity, No. 2
on the Top 10 Companies for African Americans list and one of
DiversityInc's 25 Noteworthy Companies.

The company, formed by the merger of SBC Communications and AT&T, has a
strong affinity group for GLBT employees and has made substantive
philanthropic donations to the community. The company has a 100 percent
HRC rating.

No. 4: Hewlett-Packard

Also No. 9 in the Top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity, No. 1 on the
Top 10 Companies for Asian Americans list, and No. 31 on The
DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity list.

This company has a strong Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Pride
group and includes gender identity and expression on the
nondiscrimination page of its Web site. The company has a 100 percent
HRC rating.

No. 5: Bank of America

Also No. 25 on The DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity list
and No. 8 on the Top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity list.

With a strong GLBT employee group, Bank of America has a long history of
commitment to community. The bank has sponsored local events and the
national Human Rights Campaign dinner for several years. It has also
provided financial support to PRIDEcelebrations and GLBT expositions. A
PRIDE credit card returns income to community organizations.

No. 6: Ernst & Young

Also No. 24 on The DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity list.

The accounting giant has an active GLBT affinity group and has made
substantial philanthropic contributions to groups such as the LA Gay &
Lesbian Center and Out & Equal. The firm has a 100 percent HRC rating.

No. 7: SunTrust Banks

Also No. 28 on The DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity list.

The bank has sponsored Gay Pride events to show its community support
and strongly emphasizes gender identity and no discrimination based on
orientation. The bank has a 100 percent HRC rating.

No. 8: Deloitte

The accounting firm, which recently conducted a national survey of the
GLBT community with Lambda Legal, has long been an advocate of equality
in the workplace regardless of orientation or gender identity.

No. 9: Cingular Wireless

Also No. 15 on The DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity list,
No. 2 on the Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities list, No. 1
on the Top 10 Companies for Latinos and No. 9 in the Top 10 Companies
for Executive Women.

With a strong GLBT employee group, GLBT-Pride, the company has been
recognized by The Advocate and other gay and lesbian organizations for
its support.

No. 10: Safeco

The Seattle insurance giant has marketed to the GLBT community, has a
GLBT employee group, and has made substantive philanthropic donations to
the community.

Did you know?

As of Dec. 31, 2004, 14 states and the District of Columbia had civil
rights laws that protect all gay, lesbian and bisexual workers within
their borders from discrimination. In early 2005, two states passed
similar laws - Illinois and Maine - bringing the total to 16 states
covering sexual orientation, with six of these also including protection
for transgender individuals. An additional 11 states prohibit sexual
orientation discrimination against state employees, and three of these
include protection for transgender state employees. Louisiana added
such a policy in 2004.

October 11th is “National Coming Out Day.” This day commemorates
October 11, 1987, when the largest gay and lesbian gathering of its time
took place to protest against anti-gay discrimination and demand a
stronger federal government response to the AIDS crisis.


The 2000 U.S. Census reported 601,209 total gay and lesbian families.
(304,148 gay male families and 297,061 lesbian families).


May, 2004 - When GSociety, a Miami- and Hollywood, Calif.-based media
and entertainment company catering to gay and lesbian consumers, merged
with Capital Development Venture Group, the surviving entity became the
first publicly traded company to focus exclusively on the gay and
lesbian market.


The original gay pride flag was hand-dyed by a San Francisco artist,
Gilbert Baker, and consisted of eight stripes of hot pink, red, orange,
yellow, green, turquoise, indigo and violet. According to Baker, the
colors represent, respectively: sexuality, life, healing, sun, nature,
art, harmony and spirit. In 1979, the flag was modified and currently
displays six stripes representing the six colors (red, orange, yellow,
green, blue and purple) of the rainbow symbolizing the diversity and
pride of the GLBT community.


The reasons behind what makes a person gay or lesbian have been
speculated for a very long time. Most theories have centered on the
genetic makeup of a person or their upbringing. Scientific research
results, however, lean in favor of the theory that people are born
either gay or lesbian.


Living a double life is a hardship that no human being should have to
endure. Many gay, lesbian and bisexual people have to hide their
lifestyle from their families, friends and peers at work. In fact, more
than 40% of gay, lesbian and bisexual people lie about their true sexual
orientation to at least one co-worker.


Despite the gains in acceptance, a new study from Harris Interactive and
Witeck-Combs reveals that there’s still much ground to cover. According
to the study, many GLBT workers continue to confront workplace
discrimination and hostility. Nearly 40% of GLBT workers surveyed said
they consistently face some form of hostility or harassment on the job.
Additionally, almost one out of every 10 gay or lesbian adults said they
were fired or unfairly dismissed from a job—or pressured to quit a
job—because of their sexual orientation.


Notable GLBT People







Notable GLBT Support Organizations

ACLU - American Civil Liberties Union
NCLR - National Center for Lesbian Rights
HRC - Human Rights Campaign
SLDN - Servicemembers Legal Defense Network
NGLTF - National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
GLSEN - Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network
NIHGLEF - The NIH Gay and Lesbian Employee’s Forum
NLGLA - National Lesbian and Gay Law Association
DOJ - U.S. Department of Justice Pride
INGLO - International Network of Gay and Lesbian (public) Officials
GLARP - Gay and Lesbian Association of Retiring Persons
IALGJ - International Association of Lesbian & Gay Judges
GLMA - Gay and Lesbian Medical Association
AGLP - Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists

Sources

http://www.hrc.org http://www.census.gov
http://www.lambda.org http://www.advocate.com
http://www.glaad.org http://www.diversityinc.com

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