Arts & Entertainment

Out & Equal Conference comes to Baltimore

LGBT workplace advocacy group has bevy of events planned

Published

13 years ago

October 18, 2012

Santiago Melli-Huber

Last year’s Out & Equal Conference was held in Dallas. It’s in Baltimore this year. (Photo courtesy Out & Equal)

Many U.S. residents — even in the LGBT world — forget there are 29 states where it’s perfectly legal to fire an employee based solely on his or her sexual orientation.

For those at Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, that’s a major concern.

Issues of workplace equality for gays are again on the table at this year’s Out & Equal Workplace Summit, an annual event that comes this year to Baltimore from Oct. 29-Nov. 1.

The purpose of the Summit, organizers say, is to draw thousands of professionals from across the country and around the world to discuss strategies to create workplace equality. From there, attendees are encouraged to take what they learned and improve the working conditions for LGBT employees of their respective companies.

“The Summit is an opportunity to learn, teach, network and have fun with kindred spirits,” lesbian Selisse Berry, Out & Equal’s founding executive director, said in a prepared statement. “Together, we will move out from Baltimore, creating the ripples that will build respectful and inclusive workplaces around the globe.”

The Summit, which started in 1999, will take place at the Baltimore Convention Center. Registration is available onsite (online registration was available but is now closed). Registration includes a welcome reception, six workshop sessions featuring about120 program options, leadership seminars, a ticket to the Gala Awards Plenary Reception and Dinner with Sister Sledge member Kathy Sledge, and access to the “Night Out!” events on Oct. 31. About 2,600 attended last year’s conference in Dallas.

Onsite non-sponsor rates start at $1,350 for the full conference but day rates, student discounts and other packages are available in different price brackets.

The “Night Out!” event options include a screening of the film “Codebreaker,” based on the tragic life of gay computer scientist Alan Turing, and a Halloween party in Baltimore’s Power Plant Live.

Speakers at the Summit include Judy Shepard, mother of the late Matthew Shepard, and Zach Wahls, whose speech before the Iowa House Judiciary Committee in favor of marriage equality became an internet sensation and who recently spoke at the Democratic National Convention. Beth Brooke, global vice chair of public policy at Ernst & Young, is the keynote speaker. Brooke is also a member of the International Council on Women’s Business Leadership, led by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The Summit also features the presentation of the “Outie Awards.” Out & Equal gives the awards annually to individuals and corporations who are leaders in promoting workplace equality for the LGBT community around the world. Categories include outstanding work done by both members of the LGBT community as well as allies. Finalists for the corporate award include, among others, Google and Whirlpool.

In addition to looking for an opportunity to bring the conference to the eastern corridor and the progress being done for the LGBT community in downtown Baltimore, Kevin Jones, deputy director of Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, is excited about the Summit’s location, as Maryland is fighting for same-sex marriage rights this November.

While Out & Equal Workplace Advocates works year-round to create safe and equitable environments for LGBT professionals, the Summit is the organization’s most influential event. Jones, who is openly gay, stresses the importance of the event in relation to the function of the organization.

“The Summit is the single largest program that we do and also the source of almost 90 percent of the resources that run Out & Equal and our other programs — training, consulting, regional affiliate activities — throughout the course of the year.”

According to Jones, a major focus of the 2012 Summit includes federal employees, given the Summit’s proximity to Washington. The Summit is recognized as officially approved training for federal employees.

“The other thing I would say that we’re really hoping to focus on is trying to make sure that voices from historically under-represented communities, particularly in the LGBT corporate world, are visible,” Jones says. “We are spending time trying to make the content accessible to local members of the transgender, bisexual and people of color communities.”

Many workshops and leadership seminars throughout the Summit focus on those issues.

Support for the Summit comes from registration fees as well as scores of corporate sponsors, particularly presenting sponsors Hewlett-Packard and IBM.

Out & Equal Workplace Advocates also held their first Global LGBT Workplace Summit in London this past July, which included a keynote speech by openly gay tennis champion Martina Navratilova.

Up Next

Calendar: events through Oct. 25

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Bars & Parties

Mixtape Sapphics hosts holiday party on Dec. 13

‘Sugar & Spice’ night planned for Saturday

Published

1 day ago

December 12, 2025

Tinashe Chingarande

(Photo by New Africa/Bigstock)

Mixtape Sapphics will host “Sapphic Sugar & Spice: A Naughty-Nice Mixtape Holiday Party” on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 4 p.m. at Amsterdam Lounge.

This is a festive, grown holiday party for queer women and sapphics 35 and older at Revolt’s Christmas pop-up. There will be music, joy, and an optional White Elephant.

This is Mixtape Sapphics’ first-ever holiday party — a cozy, flirty, intentionally grounded night created just for queer women and sapphics 35+ who want real connection, festive joy, and a warm place to land at the end of the year.

Tickets start at $13.26 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

Calendar

Calendar: December 12-18

LGBTQ events in the days to come

Published

1 day ago

December 12, 2025

Tinashe Chingarande

Friday, December 12

“Center Aging Friday Tea Time” will be at 12 p.m. in person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community’s new location at 1827 Wiltberger St., N.W. To RSVP, visit the DC Center’s website or email [email protected].

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Happy Hour” at 7 p.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar and Restaurant. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea-sharing, and community building. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Women in Their Twenties and Thirties will be at 8 p.m. on Zoom. This is a social discussion group for queer women in the Washington, D.C. area. For more details, go to Facebook.

Saturday, December 13

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 12 p.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host “Sunday Supper on Saturday” at 2 p.m. D.C.’s queer community will gather for good food, laughter, and community. For more information, email [email protected].

Sunday, December 14

SADBrunch will host “HokiSlay Drag Brunch” at 12 p.m. at Throw Social. This festive affair brings fierce performances, over-the-top holiday looks, and more sparkle than a tinsel explosion. Expect powerhouse lip-syncs, laughter, and cheer hotter than your spiked cocoa. Cake Pop will host the event. Tickets cost $28.52 and are available on Eventbrite.

Monday, December 15

“Center Aging: Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more information, contact Adam ([email protected]).

Genderqueer DC will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a support group for people who identify outside of the gender binary, whether you’re bigender, agender, genderfluid, or just know that you’re not 100% cis. For more details, visit genderqueerdc.org or Facebook.

Tuesday, December 16

Center Bi+ Roundtable will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is an opportunity for people to gather and discuss issues related to bisexuality or as Bi individuals in a private setting. Visit Facebook or Meetup for more information.

The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host “Self-Defense Class with Avi Rome” at 12:30 p.m. Rome is a proud member of the LGBTQ community and a full-time martial arts instructor with 25 years of teaching experience. He holds a Fifth Degree Black Belt in Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do and is the director of the studio’s Adaptive Tae Kwon Do program for students with special needs. He has also run numerous self-defense workshops for various groups and situations. For more details, visit the center’s website.

Wednesday, December 17

Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom upon request. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.

Asexual and Aromantic Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a space where people who are questioning this aspect of their identity or those who identify as asexual and/or aromantic can come together, share stories and experiences, and discuss various topics. For more details, email [email protected].

Thursday, December 18

The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.

Virtual Yoga Class will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This free weekly class is a combination of yoga, breath work and meditation that allows LGBTQ+ community members to continue their healing journey with somatic and mindfulness practices. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.

Egypt

Iran, Egypt object to playing in Seattle World Cup ‘Pride Match’

Game to take place on June 26

Published

2 days ago

December 11, 2025

Michael K. Lavers

(Photo by fifg/Bigstock)

Iran and Egypt have objected to playing in a “Pride Match” that will take place in Seattle during the 2026 World Cup.

The Egyptian Football Association on Tuesday said it told FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström in a letter that “it categorically rejects holding any activities related to supporting (homosexuality) during the match between the Egyptian national team and Iran, scheduled to be held in Seattle, USA, on June 26, 2026, in the third round of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup.” Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran President Mehdi Taj told ISNA, a semi-official Iranian news agency that both his country and Egypt “protested this issue.”

The 2026 World Cup will take place in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The draw took place at the Kennedy Center on Dec. 5.

Iran is among the handful of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death.

The State Department’s 2023 human rights report notes that while Egyptian law “did not explicitly criminalize consensual same-sex sexual activity, authorities regularly arrested and prosecuted LGBTQI+ persons on charges including ‘debauchery,’ prostitution, and ‘violating family values.’” Egyptian authorities “also reportedly prosecuted LGBTQI+ individuals for ‘misuse of social media.’”

“This resulted in de facto criminalization of same-sex conduct and identity,” notes the report.

The 2024 human rights report the State Department released earlier this year did not include LGBTQ-specific references.

Soccer has ‘unique power to unite people across borders, cultures, and beliefs’

The June 26 match between Iran and Egypt coincides with Seattle Pride. The Washington Post reported the Seattle FIFA World Cup 2026 Local Organizing Committee decided to hold the “Pride Match” before last week’s draw.

“As the Local Organizing Committee, SeattleFWC26’s role is to prepare our city to host the matches and manage the city experience outside of Seattle Stadium,” said SeattleFWC26 Vice President of Communications Hana Tadesse in a statement the committee sent to the Washington Blade on Wednesday. “SeattleFWC26 is moving forward as planned with our community programming outside the stadium during Pride weekend and throughout the tournament, partnering with LGBTQ+ leaders, artists, and business owners to elevate existing Pride celebrations across Washington.”

“Football has a unique power to unite people across borders, cultures, and beliefs,” added Tadeese. “The Pacific Northwest is home to one of the nation’s largest Iranian-American communities, a thriving Egyptian diaspora, and rich communities representing all nations we’re hosting in Seattle. We’re committed to ensuring all residents and visitors experience the warmth, respect, and dignity that defines our region.”

The 2034 World Cup will take place in Saudi Arabia.

Consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death in the country. The 2022 World Cup took place in neighboring Qatar, despite concerns over the country’s anti-LGBTQ rights record.