Last week Dallas played host to the Out & Equal Workplace Summit at the Hilton Anatole. More than 2,500 conferencegoers from 26 countries came to town to talk about LGBTQ issues in the workplace. But they also came to celebrate the remarkable strides that have been made, as well.
Sessions were held Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday on topics that ran the LGBTQ gamut, from bullying and gender fluidity to same-sex partner benefits and disability. There were films and skits and book signings. There was an exhibit hall with more goodies than any carry-on could handle. And there were a number of awards given throughout the week.
A plethora of celebs was on hand, including politicos, business gurus, and entertainment stars, including Meredith Baxter (from Family Ties), Geri Jewell (of Facts of Life fame), Donna Brazile (vice chair of the Democratic National Committee), Mike Ullman and Liz Sweney (Chairman/CEO and Executive Vice President of JCPenney, respectively), and LZ Granderson (the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association's Journalist of the Year), just to name a few.
One of the most moving moments of the week was when the founder of Out & Equal, Selisse Berry, spoke. She was headed for the ministry many years ago, but coming out would have meant not being able to be ordained. So she came out and bowed out. As a result, she founded Out & Equal.
After sharing her story, she introduced a new intern in her office, Danny Dyson. He's from Uganda. He was beaten and left for dead for coming out and speaking out. He came to the U.S. as a refugee and is now with Out & Equal. It's a powerful thing to see hope in the form of a human being.
I attended a session on bisexuality that reminded me that even people in the LGBTQ community have things to learn when it comes to equality and diversity and understanding those who are different from themselves. And I went to a session about white privilege and was reminded of how different the LGBTQ experience can be depending on one's race. I went to a session about language, too, and was reminded of the power of words and how they can affect everyone who hears them.
I also had the chance to catch up with Bob McPherrin, Director of Sales & Marketing at the Hilton Anatole. Since he sees so many conferences come and go, I was interested in his take on Out & Equal.
"The city really came together to bring Out & Equal to Dallas," McPherrin explained. "We really saw the Dallas diversity come together on this initiative. It was going to go to Gaylord, but we leveraged the relationships we had to get it here instead. People in Dallas told us, 'We don't want to drive out to Grapevine.'"
Some things were different about putting on a conference like this, he explained. "There were certain things about the convention that were special, including being inclusive in terms of members of the transgender community. So they sent people to train us [the employees].
"It was actually really fun. And at their request we [placed 'gender-neutral' signs outside some of] the bathrooms. We wanted them to look the same [as all the other signage] so no one would feel slighted," McPherrin said. "There's such a wave of positive energy you feel when you come into this convention. Not all of the conferences are like that."
Other changes were made in the hotel, too. On the 24th and 25th floors, they even renamed the suites the Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon Suite and the Harvey Milk Suite. Personally, I think they should consider making that a permanent change.
There were so many incredible speeches, presentations and experiences. My two favorite quotations of the week were, "It is not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling to do yourself," originally spoken by Eleanor Roosevelt, and, "Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible," originally spoken by Claude Bissell.
The pinnacle of the summit was the Thursday-night gala, emceed by Kate Clinton, complete with entertainment by Margaret Cho and music by Dallas' own Turtle Creek Chorale. JCPenney put on an impressive fashion show, a silent and live auction was held, and a very nice chicken dinner was served. Google and Accenture won Outies. And Joel Burns (Fort Worth City Councilman) and Wes Bush (Chairman, CEO, and President of Northrop Grumman) gave rousing speeches.
It was a powerful thing being with so many people who are inspired, motivated and committed to equality. It makes you wish you never had to leave, or, at the very least, it makes you anxious for the next time you can dwell in such solidarity -- which, to my mind, will be next year's Out & Equal Workplace Summit, being held Oct. 30 to Nov. 2, 2012 in Baltimore.
The only thing I'm looking forward to more than being there is the day when we no longer need a conference to talk about how to make the workplace (and the world, for that matter) a more accepting place.