HR Works Podcast 151: LGBTQ+ Discrimination Still a Major Struggle

Guests: Ella Slade, Global LGBTQ+ Leader, IBM and CV Viverito, Deputy Director of Global Programs & Stakeholder Engagement with Out & Equal Workplace Advocates As part of Pride Month, I wanted to tackle LGBTQ+ discrimination in the workplace. Discrimination against individuals of the LGBTQ+ community was codified as illegal just about a year ago, in June of 2020 by the US supreme court when they added sexual orientation and gender identity to classifications protected by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. It was a victory for equality, but as we all know too well, legal protections do not equal the end of discrimination. A recent IBM Out & Equal survey found significant and persistent discrimination against the LGBTQ+community in the workplace. I am pleased to be joined today by two experts. Ella Slade is Global LGBTQ+ Leader at IBM (https://www.ibm.com). They work on IBM's global diversity and inclusion team within HR and have been in their role for two years. Ella first joined IBM as an intern in 2014 and worked in Talent Attraction for 5 years before their current role. CV Viverito, Deputy Director of Global Programs & Stakeholder Engagement with Out & Equal Workplace Advocates (https://outandequal.org/), where they manage programming aimed at advancing LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion in Brazil and Latin America, China, and India. Through partnerships with NGOs and multinational and national corporations, they play a key role in the development and implementation of the organization’s global strategy and activities. Drawing from a variety of sources, local experts, and stakeholders, they oversee the curation of Out & Equal’s globally-focused content. They are here to help HR and employers understand the results and drive real and lasting progress in the workplace for LGBTQ+ employees. The report mentioned in the podcast can be found here (https://www.ibm.com/thought-leadership/institute-business-value/report/lgbt-inclusion).  Remember you can always follow us on Twitter at @HRWorksPodcast (https://bit.ly/3l0dzP3), and we are also now available on Spotify (http://spoti.fi/3t8of13) and Audible (http://adbl.co/30uhdaq).