Life at AT&T: #WeAreBold
By Mark A. Barfield, LEAGUE at AT&T National CEO
Pride season is a time for the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender community and their allies to celebrate, reflect and advocate for continued progress toward an inclusive environment. Our nation’s rich tapestry is woven from diversity and part of that is our LGBT community.
We founded LEAGUE at AT&T in 1987. It’s our 5,800-member LGBT and Ally employee resource group and is one of the oldest in the nation. And it has been at the forefront of LGBT rights within corporate America ever since. We’re proud to celebrate our 30th anniversary this week – a momentous milestone for many.
AT&T continues to stand at the forefront of LGBT diversity and inclusion. In 2017, we brought back our annual Live Proud Campaign for a 5th year. This year’s theme is #WeAreBold.
We invite AT&T employees and community members to share on social media how they’re bold. The campaign supports GLAAD, so every post matters! Click here to find out how you can show your support before the campaign ends July 31.
In 1975, AT&T adopted a policy prohibiting discrimination against employees based on sexual orientation. It was the first of many steps taken to promote inclusion and prohibit discrimination for LGBT people, our employees and our customers.
From the beginning, we’ve worked to foster an inclusive workplace and be the LGBT community’s employer, service provider and business of choice.
Over the past 2 years LGBT rights have progressed nationwide. But we still see danger for some. We see our youth unable to live authentically – the result can be domestic abuse or homelessness. We also see individuals facing job, housing, medical and other discrimination based on state laws.
As National CEO of LEAGUE at AT&T, I’m proud to lead this organization. We’re committed to embracing our diverse environment. And we challenge ourselves to have difficult discussions with each other to create broader understanding.
LEAGUE supports transgender employees through a confidential support group. It uses AT&T and community resources to provide unique in-person mentoring designed to harness individual potential, and give back to our community through yearlong community service.
LEAGUE champions diversity, networking, professional development and community involvement. But it also leads overall company success. Our unique identities create a relationship between AT&T and our customers.
Mark A. Barfield is a lead channel marketing manager, AT&T Business and LEAGUE at AT&T national CEO