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2020 Workplace summit

OCTOBER 5-9, 2020

Welcome to the Out & Equal 2020 Summit!

October 5 – 9, 2020

Each year, more than 5,000 executives, Employee Resource Group (ERG) leaders and members, HR, Diversity & Inclusion professionals and experts convene at the Out & Equal Workplace Summit – the largest LGBTQ focused conference in the world. Summit has grown to become the preferred place to network, share strategies and best practices that help create workplaces which are inclusive of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions – workplaces where everyone belongs, and where LGBTQ employees can be out and thrive. Time and time again, we hear (and have experienced personally) that Summit is life-changing and transformative – a pivotal boost to professionals’ personal and professional lives.

The 2020 Summit was reimagined to be an exceptional experience that drives all of these goals as a virtual event at a time of social distancing. This was no two-dimensional attempt to replicate an in-person event. Rather Summit leveraged all of the assets of digital mediums to offer enhanced capacity for connection, career development, expertise sharing and more.

Speakers

Wesley Morris

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Megan Rapinoe

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Glennon Doyle

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Wilson Cruz

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Breanna Sinclaire

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Katie Sowers

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Erin Uritus

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Arne Sorenson

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Joshua Johnson

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Valerie Jarrett

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Masen Davis

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Halsey Cook

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Chanel Turner

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Greg Sarris

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Chloe Davies

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Rolddy Leyva

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Mary Lambert

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Paul Oakley Stovall

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Jake Zyrus

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Deena Fidas

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Ken Janssens

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Alphonso David

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Javier Constante

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Lanaya Irvin

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Bowen Yang

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Enrique Lores

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Major General Tammy Smith

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Be Steadwell

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Allyn Shaw

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CV Viverito

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Mia McDonald

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Shin Inouye

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Wil Lewis

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Rea Carey

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Chris Lee

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Ellie Schafer

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Zainab Patel

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Mayor Annise Parker

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Ralph DeChabert

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Amit Paley

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Craig Robinson

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Nadine Smith

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Veda Persad

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Srini Ramaswamy

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Michael Lopez

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Ramki Venkatachalam

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Chris Crespo

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Prachi Rastogi

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Karla Arnaiz

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Sandra Evers-Manly

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Jennifer Henderson

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Jennifer Fisher

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Simon Blake

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Jimmy Chen

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Delfina Daglio

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Ari Vera Morales

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Alexis Lin

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Bo Young Lee

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Ana Flavia Silva Bezerra

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Amanda Leacy

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Watch the 2020 Outie Awards

WORKSHOPS

VIEW WORKSHOPS BY TRACK:

belonging & workplace culture

Belonging in the workplace is more than checking D&I boxes. Learn from the experts who have transformed their workplace culture into one where everyone thrives!

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bisexual + / queer

Explore content specific to bisexual, non-monosexual, and/or queer experiences and learn best practices for bi+/queer inclusion in the workplace.

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changemakers

Workplace culture can be tough to change – learn from the professionals who are actively influencing positive and inclusive change in their workplaces.

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corporate-community partnerships

Top leaders in the Fortune 500 share their strategies and lessons learned with community partnership building.

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erg / brg

Employee and Business Resource Groups have a long history of shaping company culture – learn how LGBTQ+ ERG / BRG leaders are continuing to foster workplaces of belonging.

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global

Learn how LGBTQ+ workplace equality varies across countries by leaders from around the world.

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intersectionality

We all have many factors that make up our identities – race, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, religion, accessibility, etc. Belonging occurs when all identities are seen, celebrated, and supported. “LGBTQ identity” is not a monolith. Sessions in this track explore the ways in which LGBTQ+ identities intersect with other identities.

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law & public policy

Supreme Court cases, Corporate advocacy, and the economy – learn how law and public policy are affecting and being effected by the LGBTQ+ community.

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mental health & well-being

Talking about mental health isn’t always easy. Learn how corporations and resource groups are stepping up to support employee mental health and develop policies and practices to shape cultures of well-being.

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professional development & executive leadership

Learn to harness your full potential as a leader and cultivate opportunities of growth for your team.

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talent acquisition & retention

Recruiting isn’t just about checking boxes. Break away from standardized acquisition practices and learn inclusive strategies for attracting and retaining top talent.

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transgender & gender-nonconforming

Explore content specific to transgender & gender-nonconforming experiences and learn best practices for transgender & gender-nonconforming inclusion in the workplace.

view sessions
view all workshops

This 2020 Summit experience maintained our most popular features, while enhancing learning, engagement and celebration across several key elements:

1. INSPIRING exclusive keynote addresses from LGBTQ celebrities, executives, and thought leaders!

World-famous actors, political leaders, athletes, and corporate and government pioneers shared their stories and helped open our minds to what’s possible for us to achieve.

2. Stuck choosing between two sessions? participants can access all content workshops.

Participants could take part live or later on, on-demand. Spread across five days versus three, Summit featured workshops, roundtable discussions, and panels that provide essential learning for D&I practitioners, ERG members and allies. Summit also included high visibility panels to elevate issues of concerns, and allowed for earning continuing education credits through SHRM.

3. Remember the deep connection and dialogue achieved during our now renowned “Snowflake” event?

Mass Participation activities have become a hallmark of Summit. They served all of us in better understanding our peers’ perspectives. And they highlight and leverage what we all have in common.

4. Build your networks and meet new friends!

From collaborative and competitive games like scavenger hunts, to forums for one-on-one conversation, to a participant talent show – we engineered Summit to involve a great deal of fun and creative opportunities for connection. Those magical hallway conversations were no longer limited by time or space. Participants could learn more about other attendees, and “chat” with people around the world.

5. Visit a robust virtual engagement center that is built around one-on-one interaction!

The center had places like company booths, non-profit partners, and a marketplace for queer merch.

6. Within the engagement center, visit an enhanced Career Fair.

Companies could connect LGBTQ job-seekers with enthusiastic recruiters 1:1.

7. Celebrate those forging the way for LGBTQ inclusion and workplaces of belonging!

Summit featured an expanded set of Outie Awards to celebrate and elevate those that are leading the way.

2020 summit faq Download the 2020 summit guide 2020 schedule

AIRLINE PARTNER

All of this will be powered by queer ingenuity and state-of-the-art technology to make this a Summit like never before! Please join us, and consider what participation could mean for an expanded group of LGBTQ leaders and employees at your organization this year – a time when support and connection is most needed. 

RELIVE THE 2019 WORKPLACE SUMMIT

For more information about what we did at Summit last year and the impacts of attending:

check out the 2019 summit trip report

“Every day, I am bolstered by our community’s resilience. We have always risen to the occasion in moments of shared adversity – from the AIDS crisis to economic downturns. We know how vital our work is together and we have always come out of crises stronger. Summit is especially personal to me this year. That’s why we are spending every ounce of energy and creativity we have to deliver a truly transformational 2020 Out & Equal Summit.”

— Erin Uritus, Out & Equal CEO

OUR VISION

Global workplaces where all people are equal, belong, and thrive.

OUR MISSION

Out & Equal is the global convener, thought leader and catalyst actively working to achieve workplaces of equality and belonging - supporting LGBTQ+ employees and leaders who thrive in their careers and lives and achieve greater impact on the world.