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Press Release -- April 17th, 2019
Source: AT&T
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An Ally for LGBTQ+ Equality

As a cisgender heterosexual woman, I am often asked why I’m so involved with LEAGUE at AT&T. LEAGUE is AT&T’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer+ (LGBTQ+) and Ally Employee Resource Group. My first response is “I am an Ally.” That answer often doesn’t seem to satisfy the questioner. So, I explain I have family and friends that can marry the love of their life on a Saturday, and then be fired from their job on Monday simply for being who they are.

Martin Luther King Jr. said, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” I’m involved with LEAGUE so my friends can hear my voice in the hope it will create a safer and more equitable future for them.

I’m proud to work for AT&T where LGBTQ+ employees have had workplace protections since 1975. “We stand for equality at AT&T. That commitment guides every interaction with our customers, our communities and one another,” said Randall Stephenson, AT&T Chairman and CEO. That commitment is recognized in many ways, one being that this year marks the 15th year in a row AT&T has received a perfect 100% score on the Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). The CEI is the national benchmarking tool on corporate policies and practices pertinent to LGBTQ+ people and gives companies, like AT&T, the distinction of being the “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality.”

AT&T stands true to its commitment to equality by using its “voice.” AT&T signed on as a member of HRC’s Business Coalition for the Equality Act. According to HRC, this “is a group of leading U.S. employers that support the Equality Act, federal legislation that would provide the same basic protections to LGBTQ people as are provided to other protected groups under federal law.” The Equality Act was reintroduced to Congress in early March with documentation of the support of the 176 other companies, including AT&T, that stand together in the Business Coalition.

On behalf of the over 5,500 LEAGUE members, I want to thank AT&T for refusing to be silent and using its voice to continue to support the LGBTQ+ community.

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