Selisse Berry said her passion for starting Out & Equal, a nonprofit dedicated to LGBT workplace equality, began after she was denied ordination in the Presbyterian Church. She felt like “no one should ever have to choose between a career that we love and the person that we love.”
“All of these years later, I’m still committed to that and still trying to make sure all workplaces embrace the LGBT community,” Berry added.
Twenty-one years after founding Out & Equal, Berry is gearing up for her last Workplace Summit as CEO. The traveling global conference, held Oct. 9-12 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, is expected to bring more than 4,000 from more than 40 countries, Berry said.
Moving forward, Berry will take on an advisory role for the organization she founded. She said having her last conference in Philadelphia is “bittersweet.”
“There is a strong LGBT vibe and there is so much energy around LGBT equality in Philadelphia,” Berry said. “[It’s also] very convenient for people from New York, D.C. and Boston. Geographically appealing, the diversity and the LGBT equality commitment of the community [made it feel] like a great place to have the summit this year.”
The summit will feature nationally known celebrities such as Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis, country singer Chely Wright, singer-actor Jennifer Holliday and fashion designer Christian Siriano. Locals will also make an appearance, including Mayor Jim Kenney, state Rep. Brian Sims, Director of LGBT Affairs Amber Hikes and the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus.
The conference will offer several workshops, with eight educational tracks.
Berry noted how conversations around LGBT equality have changed since the first Workplace Summit in Atlanta, Ga., back in 1999, which had about 200 attendees.
She said LGBT topics are “the common conversation now, whereas in the beginning, there were a lot of meetings and conversations just to get people to be willing to admit that there are LGBT employees, as well as customers and clients.”
“We have people from all over the world come and then many of them go back and put on a conference that’s similar to Out & Equal in their country,” Berry added.
Berry said she will continue attending the summit in the future, and added that Out & Equal will be exploring ways to stay strong in support of LGBT-friendly legislation.
However, the founder is still on a “high” for next week’s conference.
“It really is the only place in a three- or four-day period to have this many opportunities to learn about hands-on ways to make a difference in the workplace. We spend a lot of time at work and if we’re not able to be our authentic selves at work, then it just adds layers of complexity. [You will] have a place where you can come and get lots of information and tools to really make changes in your workplace.”
Out & Equal’s 2017 Workplace Summit will be held Oct. 9-12 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch St. Visit http://outandequal.org/workplacesummit/ for more information and to register.