FEATURE
THE LGBT COMMUNITY WITHIN WBENC
“Just by asking the question, you’re being more inclusive; just by noticing a lack of diversity,
you are progressing on the path.” Jennifer Brown
WBENC’S DIVERSITY
WBENC is a diverse collective of women representing the many faces of society.
Together, WBENC’s community embodies a variety of ethnicities and cultures and
includes, people with disabilities, veterans, and women within the lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities. As WBENC has established its
place within the diversity & inclusion space through supplier diversity, it is critical
to recognize the diverse communities we represent and understand how to elevate
one-another, not only as women suppliers, but in the various positions held by women
within the economy – as business leaders in the corporations and communities we
work and serve.
SUZANNE BAUGH
Q & A Entertainment
This month we will hear from WBEs who share the voice of other women within the
LGBT community, their reflections of the value of LGBT inclusion as a WBE, as an
advocate within corporate America, and from the perspective as a business owner.
When speaking of diversity and inclusion it all begins with having a conversation.
As many community advocates, human resource professionals, and diversity and
inclusion leaders can attest a simple question can spark a conversation and alter a
dynamic.
Suzanne Baugh, CEO of Q & A Entertainment, says she is most comfortable at
events where the discussion around the LGBT community is normalized, “where the
conversation is not happening as education, rather a matter of fact that these people
are a part of our community as well.”
JENNIFER BROWN
Jennifer Brown Consulting
This was her experience at the recent USBLN conference in Orlando, Florida.
Q&A Events, a dual-certified WBE and LGBTBE meetings and event company
based in Atlanta, was the event management company for one of WBENC’s partner
organizations, the United States Business Leadership Network for People with
Disabilities (USBLN) conference and was able to see first-hand how the conversation
created a welcomed environment for everyone.
“It just created this environment of inclusivity and it was extremely comfortable,”
said Baugh.
Baugh, and her colleagues, experience this often through their work with clients
such as The Coca-Cola Company a WBENC Corporate Member well-known for their
diversity & inclusion programs.
MICHELLE TOMALLO
AND MICKI TUBBS
Fit Technologies
“The mission of our company is to create more inclusive workplaces for all kinds of
talent,” says Jennifer Brown, CEO and President of Jennifer Brown Consulting.
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
The best measurement for these programs is how they
engage constituents at all levels – it is the experience by
anyone, inside or outside of the company – from a consumer,
supplier, or employee.
“Over the last 10 years the business case for retaining
diverse talent has become very clear and very top of mind
for all HR leaders everywhere. They realize they cannot
afford to lose any talent, and yet they are losing diverse
talent because people are still not feeling included.” says
Brown. Her New York-based firm is also a dual-certified
WBE and LGBTBE (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender
Business Enterprise).
Brown understands the value proposition for diversity and
inclusion from inside a corporation, and how that translates
externally.
“It is really important for people to feel that they’re not
alone in their experience. We still have such a lack of
diversity at the top of most companies, so there is still a
huge need for people to gather, to build that community,
and to identify and share the particular barriers and
challenges they may be experiencing as they work their
way up the pipeline in corporate America.”
Brown works with larger corporations on change
management efforts relating to human capital, including
the design, development and facilitation of customized,
interactive classroom and online learning events, and is
known as the creator of the ERG Progression Model, a
proprietary development tool that facilitates the
transformation of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
into true business partners.
Brown came into this field after her own experience as an
employee in corporate America, deciding to combine her
appreciation for her work and her community. With a masters
in organizational development, Brown studied organizational
change, leadership, learning and development, and how to
train and coach leaders so they are equipped to understand
the mechanics of organizational change. At the same
time, she was an active member of the LGBT community,
participating on boards of LGBT advocacy organizations. By
bringing those parts of her life together, Brown emerged as
an expert in creating inclusive workplaces.
While diversity and inclusion is at the top of many corporate
agendas, it has found its voice within supplier diversity. As
the rights and advocacy for LGBT individuals expands many
organizations are developing programs and initiatives to fuel
the progress. WBENC’s affiliate organization the National
Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), has been
certifying LGBT business and working to ensure the inclusion
of LGBT business enterprises within corporate procurement.
“The more certified companies that we can put into the
supply chain the better off all of us are” says Michelle
Tomallo, President of Fit Technologies, “because we are
helping underscore the argument that we’re making in
the first place… we want more success stories! The more
diverse businesses we have in the supply chain, the better
success stories that we can tell.”
Fit Technologies, founded in 1999, is a full-service managed
IT firm. As an LGBTBE, Tomallo and her partner, Micki Tubbs,
are highly active in their LGBT Chamber of Commerce in
Cleveland, Plexus, but learned about the chamber through a
series of connections starting with the WBENC community.
After becoming WBENC-Certified in 2008, another female
business leader heard their company story and suggested
they apply for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Award. WBENC Corporate Member Ernst & Young is also one
of NGLCC’s biggest supporters and when it was recognized
Tomallo and Tubbs were also LGBT, they encouraged them
to become NGLCC certified in 2009. Tomallo believes there is
real value in WBEs who are LGBT to become dual-certified.
“I have found that when you have a group that has been
part of a minority, a group that can understand the power
of affinity, I think that there is a baseline value around
the responsibility to lift up and support other diverse
organizations,” says Tamallo.
As larger WBEs have instituted their own supplier diversity
programs to mimic those of their corporate customers,
WBEs should too consider the value of diverse and inclusive
suppliers, consumers, and employees.
Brown suggests to start simply: “Express your commitment
to it, regardless of the size of your company, on your website,
in your marketing materials and in your mission statement.
If you believe diverse talent in all the definitions of diversity
WWW.WBENC.ORG » OCTOBER EDITION 2014 »
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really fuels your ability to be innovative and provide better solutions to your customers, you
should say it! You should say it because it is welcoming language, it will offend no one and
actually it will draw people to you who value that.”
Tomallo’s advice is to step back and evaluate your current policies, “Put on the filter of
‘what if I was LGBT and reviewing these? Is this reflecting what our policy really is and
is our language inclusive? Do we have a policy that supports what our values are? Is our
policy inclusive? Are our benefits inclusive for those people who have same-sex partners,
how do those benefits extend? Do people feel comfortable being out in the workplace?
Often times these things are around education and awareness, that’s how we start to break
down the things that happen in workplace culture that make someone feel like they can’t
be out. It’s those types of policies and perceptions that business leaders and coworkers
might not even be conscious of.”
By taking small steps any business can begin to build a more inclusive workplace, Brown
says. “At the very least, discuss it on your leadership team, close the door and say let’s talk
about this. How diverse are we? What message do we think that sends to our workforce? How
do we think that makes them feel?”
For More Information: http://nglcc.org/, http://www.qandaevents.com/,
http://www.fittechnologies.com/, http://jenniferbrownconsulting.com/
Talking about LGBT People & Equality
The words we use to talk about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and issues can have a powerful
impact on our conversations. The right words can help open people’s hearts and minds, while others can create distance
or confusion.
Gay, Lesbian & Bi
Terms to Use: gay (adj.), lesbian (n. or adj.), bi (adj)
Usage Examples: “gay people”, “gay man/men”, “lesbian
couple”, “he is gay”, “she is bi”
Terms to Avoid: homosexual, gay (n.)( ex he is a gay)
Explanation: Gay is an adjective, not a noun; it is sometimes
used as a shorthand term encompassing gay, lesbian and
bisexual orientations. While many lesbians may identify as
gay, the term lesbian(s) is clearer when talking only about
a woman or women. Anti-gay activists often use words like
“homosexual” to stigmatize gay people by reducing their lives
to purely sexual terms.
Transgender
The term transgender refers to people whose gender identity
(the sense of gender that every person feels inside) or gender
expression is different from the sex that was assigned to
them at birth. At some point in their lives, transgender people
decide they must live their lives as the gender they have
always known themselves to be, and often transition to living
as that gender.
Terms to use: transgender (adj.)
Usage Examples: “transgender person”, “transgender
advocate”
Terms to Avoid: “transgendered”, “a transgender” (n.),
“transvestite”, “tranny”
Explanation: Transgender is an adjective, not a noun. Be
careful not to call someone “a transgender.” Do not add
an unnecessary “-ed” to the term (“transgendered”), which
connotes a condition of some kind. Never use the term
“transvestite” to describe a transgender person. Always use
a transgender person’s name. Also a person who identifies
as a certain gender should be referred to using pronouns
consistent with that gender. When it is isn’t possible to ask
what pronoun a person would prefer, use the pronoun that
is consistent with the person’s appearance and gender
expression.
Read the complete guide on talking about LGBT People &
Equality created by GLAAD