The Tucson Corporate LGBT Coalition is a new program for the year 2002. The mission of our program is to form alliances among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and straight (LGBT&S) employees of Tucson's major employers, for the purpose of identifying key workplace issues and developing a resource package to assist employers and employees in resolving the issues. The vision of the Coalition is a Tucson where every employer, large or small, treats employees fairly and consistently, and every place of work has an open climate, regardless of the sexual orientation or gender identity of employees.

Our goal is to start discussions and open dialogues. By our identifying the major issues and passing along our research, corporations can feel comfortable that they are addressing the important issues properly. Our research is intended for both straight and LGBT audiences.

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Straight Alliance Fund, a program in partnership with the National Lesbian and Gay Community Funding Partnership, funds our program. The Partnership was founded in 1993 to impact the chronic pattern of underfunding of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender programs and to support efforts to address these issues within the field of philanthropy. The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona administers the LGBT&S Alliance Fund.

Tucson has a unique environment where LGBT issues are at the forefront and readily discussed. The public sector boasts one of the most progressive stances toward LGBT interests in the nation. However, this stance does not project as strongly into the private sector.

Why is this the case? One problem is that businesses establish a structure and atmosphere that tends to isolate them from other areas of life. Outside influences can have a difficult time penetrating the corporate culture. The corporation has institutionalized mechanisms that are effective in preserving its culture and keeping out influences perceived as undesired.

Businesses need education in LGBT issues. Companies are including sexual orientation and gender identity non-discrimination language in their corporate policies, yet are having trouble applying these policies to every-day practice. Entrenched cultures at large corporations that exclude all except the traditional gender identities and sexual orientation need sources of information about and examples of the LGBT employee model.

We are at a juncture in which many employers are considering issues such as:

Needless confusion, misperceptions and conflict result due to both the lack of factual information and the knowledge of how to access local and national resources for assistance. If employers hold dialogues and planning sessions without credible information, the result is often unsuccessful and can impact employee satisfaction and morale. Additionally, these unsuccessful instances only serve to set back the advances that have been made in LGBT acceptance in the workplace.

We are finding that one of the best ways to increase LGBT awareness within corporations is to have the LGBT employees spearhead the effort from within. But in order to for LGBT employees to feel empowered to assist with the transformation of their corporate culture, two things are necessary: LGBT employees need to feel united by and behind their goals, and the corporation needs education to improve the workplace atmosphere. The goals of the Coalition are to provide this unity among LGBT employees at diverse corporations, and provide knowledge on LGBT issues.

Another goal of the Coalition is to improve the corporation-LGBT community relationship. Many corporations pride themselves on their community involvement and support. Unfortunately, businesses' unawareness of the LGBT community leads to overlooked financial assistance opportunities and alienation from issues important to the LGBT community. Businesses need education on LGBT workplace issues as a start to their awareness of the LGBT community as represented by their employees. This awareness leads to more local involvement by businesses, especially larger multinational corporations, not just because of the insistence of their LGBT employees, but because these corporations understand that positively addressing LGBT issues is not only acceptable but is also good for business.

The GLBT Alliance (GLBTA) at Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson's largest private employer, is spearheading our program. GLBTA was chartered in May 2000 and numbers upwards of 50 members. In its short existence, GLBTA has already made a strong impact in the company and the community. The alliance is well organized, well managed and eager to provide a forum for LGBT workplace issues.

Other LGBT groups at major employers in Tucson are forming, as conditions are favorable for the creation and funding of employee organizations. IBM, Intuit and American Airlines have or are attempting to start groups. This is an opportune time to unite and encourage LGBT employees to work for change within their organizations.

Current participation in the Coalition includes:

Our program for 2002 will be executed in several phases. Phase 1 is to establish the Coalition, drawing from as many Tucson businesses and corporations as possible. Community organizations are also invited to participate, since we have many of the same concerns and goals. Once the Coalition is active, the program will gather and investigate LGBT workplace issues among Tucson employers.

The exciting aspect of Phase 1 work is creating the liaisons among the LGBT employee organizations of Tucson’s larger businesses. This program has the potential to build extensive bridges among Tucson's business and advocacy infrastructure. Corporations are tough environments to penetrate; our program is unique in that it works from the inside.

Ultimately, the program will create the following products:

By way of this introduction, we hope that your organization will become involved in the Tucson Corporate LGBT Coalition. Please visit our website, or contact our board chair, Phil Moul, at philmoul@earthlink.net, or phone (520) 615-1039.