To celebrate and honor Transgender Day of Remembrance, EQUAL! invited Ryan Sallans to talk about the issues faced by Transgender Employees in corporate environments, and how allies can support these employees through their transition—and beyond. As the transgender community becomes more visible in the media and in our daily lives it becomes increasingly important for …
Author Archives: jmeyer
Even with a perfect score we can still improve
by John Fredette (republished from the Alcatel-Lucent blog) In December 2013, Alcatel-Lucent was recognized by the Human Rights Campaign with a perfect score of 100% on the Corporate Equality Index. As a board member of the EQUAL! Organization for Alcatel-Lucent’s LGBT colleagues and our supporters it is heartening to see our company receive that recognition …
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Sex vs. gender
by Wendy Roome, Alcatel-Lucent employee in the U.S. This personal story is part of the National Coming Out Day campaign. After many decades of denial and pretending to be a guy named “Bill,” in November 2012, I finally came out as transgender, and started living full-time as Wendy. I’ve worked with a local volunteer community theater …
Trans-Gressions
by Eve Jutras, Alcatel-Lucent employee in Canada This personal story is part of the National Coming Out Day campaign. Except for the author’s, names of the persons from this story have been changed to protect their privacy. Transitioning One year has now passed since I started transitioning from Male to Female (MTF). A lot has happened …
LGBT Awareness Month 2013
June is Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Awareness Month. The EQUAL! EBP (Employee Business Partner) provides activities to celebrate the contributions of the LGBT community and to raise awareness of the issues faced both within and outside the workplace that impact the lives of LGBT employees and employees with LGBT friends or family members. …
World AIDS Day 2012
by Ryk Koscielski, World AIDS Day Chair at Alcatel-Lucent December 1 was World AIDS Day and Alcatel-Lucent Employee Business Partners are partnering to host events to commemorate the day and to provide awareness. This year the following Alcatel-Lucent EBPs (Employee Business Partners) are partnering together to host World AIDS Day events at Alcatel-Lucent. 4A (Asian/Pacific …
By the way, I am…
by Eve Jutras, Alcatel-Lucent employee in Canada … Taking the risk of becoming Visible Last night my younger daughter brought home her graduation photo samples. She will finish high school next May. I was amazed at how beautiful she looked in the pictures and how proud I am of her. But, she could not stop …
Benefits Survey
By the EQUAL! Benefits team Benefits have long been a key focus area for EQUAL! Our 2012 Benefits Focus Team has made some significant progress in helping make key benefits information more accessible to our membership. As we continue to expand this work and identify benefits gaps, we need your help and support. We would …
Why wasn’t I born right-handed?
by John Fredette, EQUAL! Vice-President I am left-handed. I always have been. I don’t know why. No one else in my family is left handed. I must have been born that way. When I began school I noticed other left handed people and I felt a connection with them even if never verbally acknowledged. I …
May 17th is IDAHO – International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia
May 17th is IDAHO (International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia); individuals & organizations around the world celebrate the removal of homosexuality in the International Classification of Diseases of the World Health Organization (WHO) on May 17th, 1990. This event, first launched in Canada with the Fondation Émergence, has since spread to numerous other countries (more …
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