32 corporations and non-governmental organizations that jointly employ more than 100,000 people in Brazil came together to sign a statement in support of diversity, respect and inclusion for lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender and queer people in the workplace in Brazil. The statement, released today by Out & Equal Workplace Advocates along with Brazilian non-governmental organizations Grupo Dignidade and Aliança Nacional LGBTI, urges Brazil's 2018 presidential candidates to recognize the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace for all people in Brazil, including LGBTQ people. The first round of Brazil’s Presidential Election takes place on October 7.
The 25 companies, representing top-tier Brazilian and multinational corporations, supporting the statement are: Accenture, Braskem, Cigna, Citi, The Dow Chemical Company, GE, GOL, Google, IBM, International Flavors and Fragrances, J.P. Morgan, J Walter Thompson, Kimberly-Clark, LinkedIn, Machado Meyer, Mattos Filho, Microsoft, Natura, Nike, Oracle, Pinheiro Neto Advogados, Salesforce, Sodexo, TozziniFreire Advogados and Uber. Additional organizations supporting the statement include Human Rights Watch, Open For Business, OUTstanding and The Council for Global Equality.
"These incredible corporations - leaders in their industries across Brazil and around the world - are publicly showing their support for LGBTQ inclusion in the workplace not only because it's the right thing to do, but also because they know it's good for business and it's good for Brazil," said Erin Uritus, CEO of Out & Equal. "These companies invest in practices that allow their LGBTQ employees to feel welcome and respected and bring their whole selves to work, and consequently they have experienced the benefits of these policies and practices in their own workplaces."
Research increasingly demonstrates that inclusive workplace practices have a positive impact on attraction, recruitment and retention of employees as well as promoting collaborative, productive and innovative workplace cultures. The latest report by Open for Business illustrates the importance of diversity and inclusion for both thriving businesses and vibrant cities.
"Diversity, respect and inclusion are values that we all share," said Toni Reis, Executive Director of Grupo Dignidade and Aliança Nacional LGBTI. “These values are at stake in Brazil’s upcoming Presidential Election, and we are so pleased that these major companies and organizations have come out publicly in support of inclusion for everyone in the workplace, including LGBTQ people.”
Founded in 1996, Out & Equal works with corporations, organizations and government agencies to ensure that they provide diverse and inclusive workplaces where all employees – including LGBTQ employees – can bring their full selves to work every day.
Grupo Dignidade was formed in 1992 in Curitiba and focuses on the defense and promotion of the human rights of LGBTI people, as well as the promotion of their health. Apart from working locally, they have been active advocating on LGBTI issues at the national level and have helped to shape national government LGBTI policies and have acted as amicus curiae at the country’s Supreme Court on key rulings such as the right to same-sex partnerships and the right of transgender people to self-declare their gender and change their names on all official records.
Aliança Nacional LGBTI is a non-profit civil society organization legally registered in 2003 and since 2016 has been working nationally as a network. It now has representatives based in all 27 Brazilian states and is currently working to achieve municipal representations as well. These currently stand at 125. It works to promote and defend the human rights and citizenship of the Brazilian LGBTI community.