On Tuesday, November 9, 2021, I had the distinct honor of representing Out Leadership in front of the US House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion – a Subcommittee of the Financial Services Committee. The topic was how to eliminate barriers to full economic inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community.
I was joined by fellow witnesses who all articulated a strong case for taking an intersectional approach to addressing access for financial services of LGBTQ+ people highlighting striking disparities.
- Tanya Asapansa Walker, New York Transgender Advocacy Group
- Spencer Watson, The Center for LGBTQ Economic Advancement & Research (CLEAR)
- David Johns, National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC)
Making The Business Case for LGBTQ+ Equality.
I took the opportunity to reiterate the business case for LGBTQ+ equality that Out Leadership has been making for over a decade. I’m sure some Committee Members were surprised to learn that every study conducted since 2008 has shown that stock prices of LGBTQ+ friendly companies outperform their peers from 6.5 – 9%. I also shared that LGBTQ-inclusive US companies have higher income per employee, more patents, more trademarks, more copyrights, and much higher overall engagement and retention than less inclusive companies.
Three Crucial Bills for LGBTQ+ Equality.
I closed my opening statement by urging the Senate to pass three crucial federal bills we have been championing this year. If you’re interested in learning more about these bills and why they are vital for LGBTQ+ equality, please click the links below.
HR1187 (Inclusive Governance)
HR1443 (Access to Credit)
And the most important bill of them all – the Equality Act.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Hearing itself, I’ve included relevant links below.