Our LATAM Journey: A Past Rooted in Progress—A Future Steeped in Possibilities
Since 2017, Out & Equal has partnered with companies and key stakeholders in Brazil and has grown to forge partnerships with organizations throughout Latin America to create workplaces where every individual feels a sense of belonging.
Alongside regional partners, we’ve collaborated to create groundbreaking, data-driven reports, multilingual toolkits and step-by-step, best practice guides. We’ve strengthened our community and found fellowship in hosting workplace forums, business roundtables, and virtual convenings—all under the backdrop of significant social advancements, such as marriage equality, and grave obstacles like record violence and social exclusion.
Together, we’ve unlocked inspiration and embraced newfound resilience—LGBTQI+ workers and allies alike. As with each convening, LATAM Forum 2024 provided an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to cultivating workplaces where every voice is heard, every identity is celebrated, and every individual is valued for who they are.
Embracing the Imperative of LGBTQI+ Inclusion
Inside the Catalyst of Change Advancing Equity Across Latin America
Creating diverse workplace cultures rich in equity, inclusion, and belonging is key to attracting and retaining top talent, achieving business objectives, and building an innovative organization that will thrive today and tomorrow.
With nearly 350 people in attendance representing eight countries and more than 270 corporations, the 2024 LATAM Forum marked its largest gathering yet—culminating in a powerful clarion call to action for workplace equity.
The event emphasized the imperative for both individual and collective efforts to shape workplaces as bastions of empowerment, where authenticity is not a privilege but a fundamental right. Allies are a critical component of this movement. Allyship, as summarized in this LinkedIn think piece requires, “continuous education and active participation. Allies must amplify marginalized voices by raising their hands and voices.”
Out & Equal’s 2024 LATAM Forum stressed the importance of unity across perceived barriers and recognizing diversity as our greatest asset, urging businesses intent on cultivating inclusive workplaces to fully embrace the countless identities within not only their organizations, but our global community at large.
“In two years, 35% of the workforce will be from Generation Z, and this generation already comes with an awareness of sexual fluidity and gender questioning that is not the reality in the corporate market today. We need not only to prepare the environment for these people but also to prepare ourselves to learn from them.”
Luana Gimenez (She/Her)
Salesforce Manager, Equality Recruiting & Global VP Outforce
Shaping Tomorrow’s Inclusive Business Landscape Starts Today: A Carefully Curated Program Focused on Driving Impact
Convenings like LATAM Forum 2024, which this year took place in São Paulo, the heart of southeast Brazil on May 9, 2024, don’t just provide an opportunity to spotlight the emerging trends that are impacting and shaping organizational strategies and workplace priorities, these global events give us an opportunity to feel safe, seen, joyful, and to elevate and reinforce the principle that the future of work rests firmly in inclusion and belonging.
Through carefully curated programming, attendees could select from a series of interactive breakout sessions based on their most immediate needs and aspirations as DEIB leaders. These included sessions across two plenaries, a dozen breakouts, and our highly anticipated LATAM Forum Excellence Awards.
A few highlights from the program include:
- What Artificial Intelligence Means for DEIB: With businesses across industries increasingly recognizing AI’s transformative potential, attendees examined AI-specific DEIB strategies designed to ensure everyone gets an equitable shot.
- DEIB in Non-Office Workplaces and Factories: This session provided invaluable insights into the specific dynamics of DEIB within non-office environments such as factories, hospitals, and warehouses—with a specific focus on classism and how a person’s socio-economic status directly effects their trajectory for career growth.
- Building Successful Trans and Nonbinary Recruitment Programs: Pulling from valuable Dow, Salesforce, and JPMorgan Chase & Co case study insights, attendees gained practical guidance on building and scaling recruitment programs that promote greater trans and nonbinary workplace inclusion.
“That was an awesome event. I really encourage companies to keep sharing their innovation cases for LGBTQI+ matters. That’s the best way to learn something that we can implement in our own.“
“I want to recognize Out & Equal’s work enabling learning and networking, which are important to transform each other and become changeagents to make things happen.“
“The organization of the event was awesome, great attention to details that really made all participants feel welcome and safe to share perspectives and learn with each other.“
Check out the 2024 LATAM Forum Agenda for the complete conference rundown.
The 2024 Excellence Awards
Celebrating Representation on The Main Stage
After a full day of knowledge sharing, invaluable networking, and sessions designed to enable each of us to harness the power of our personal stories, we celebrated companies, ERGs, and the advocates who start each day determined to inspire hope and empower change throughout Latin America with bold, bright, innovative DEIB initiatives.
“It’s been years since we’ve had data on Chile to help us better understand how LGBTQI+ people’s lives are developing at work. Over the past decade both society and the legislative landscape have become more inclusive, therefore, we want to know whether this is translating into workplaces which are more open to all types of talent. We also want to better understand how other dimensions of diversity affect workplace experience, such as gender and disability. “Chile No Sabe” aims to fill in these information gaps to promote better corporate and public policies.”
Emilio Maldonado (He/Him)
CEO of Factor Diverso
