Our Global Town Hall & A Realization…

As I write that sentence, a little voice in my head asks (with the daily onslaught of occurrences and “news”) how can it only have been nine months? 

I’ve been collecting my thoughts for our Fall Out Leadership Global Town Hall next week, and have reflected back on the three Global Town Halls I did in the first half of the year. And I am so struck by just how wrong I was.

To be fair, no one has a crystal ball, and we all make predictions that don’t pan out. But in February, I said there would be consequences for the Current American President overturning so many norms of American democracy. I thought enough centrists in Congress would surely push back, and shame their colleagues into joining them.
I was wrong.

In March and April, I said that companies have understood for far too long that inclusion drives business results, and wouldn’t ever retreat from something that the vast majority of the Fortune 500 and the AmLaw 100 law firms literally had in their stated values and mission statements. I thought companies would always support and fund the work of organizations like Out Leadership, and our partner nonprofits around the country.
Again, I was wrong.

During the last almost 15 years (yes, Out Leadership turns 15 next year!) I have had the amazing opportunity to work with leaders from hundreds of companies around the world to help them visibly align their values to their businesses.

Through Summits and private conversations, we’ve advised them how to use their economic platform to advocate for the overturn of discriminatory laws and practices.

We’ve helped them attract, retain and develop amazing LGBTQ+ & Ally talent. Companies and leaders understood it mattered to their bottom line, first and foremost, whether it was the ROI created from diverse perspectives and innovation, or the opportunity to access diverse marketplaces, or just the simple fact that inclusion decreased risk across the lines of business.

And in the first nine months of this year, so many companies and law firms have slashed anything with a hint of the “D” word, often preemptively. Others have re-branded their efforts to Talent and Community (which I think often aligns better to what inclusion is meant to enable) to stay out of the line of fire.

So where do we go from here? At the risk of being massively wrong again, let me say I don’t know for sure.  But, here’s what I do know: companies will always need top talent.

If they’re a minority of any kind, especially LGBTQ+, and most especially transgender, they’re now scared to be themselves in many states, and now often their workplaces, so many have reported going back in the closet or (as our State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index has shown for years) leaving states for more friendly places to live.

I’m counting on the companies and firms that are still supporting us to continue and to renew their membership. And I’m hopeful some of the companies who pulled back in the Spring have adjusted to the new “normal” and find ways to come back to support our talent programs, our research, and our inclusive convenings and conversations. To be clear, they’re not illegal. 

In closing, I’m reminded of a quote by one of my heroes, Theodore Roosevelt, who said, “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”  

We’re not stopping.
Together,

Todd

“Lessons from the Past” Our OutNEXT LGBTQ+ Walking Tour inspiring today’s leaders.

Open to all members worldwide

Join us for our Fall Global Town Hall with Out Leadership Founder & CEO, Todd Sears as we reflect on the future of our work together and the opportunities ahead. Your insights will help guide how Out Leadership adapts, delivers impact, and remains a united force for progress.

As Todd reminds us, advocating for equality and inclusion is a marathon, not a sprint. We’ve made extraordinary strides and the future is ours to shape together.

Submit your questions by October 2 to events@outleadership.com and register today.

The number of U.S. bars dedicated to women’s sports is set to quadruple this year, growing from six at the start of 2025 to about two dozen by year’s end, NBC News reports. Three have already opened, with 14 more on the way in cities from New York and Chicago to Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Kansas City.
Two venues debuted just last week—Title 9 Sports Grill in Phoenix and 1972 Women’s Sports Pub in Austin while another, “Set the Bar” in Omaha, also recently opened. Its owner, Molly Huyck, said she was inspired after visiting Seattle’s Rough & Tumble and Portland’s The Sports Bra, the first women’s sports bar in the U.S., both opened in 2022.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris is facing criticism over remarks in her new book 107 Days, in which she explained that she did not choose Pete Buttigieg as her 2024 running mate because she feared voters would not support a ticket featuring both a Black woman and a gay man.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a longtime opponent of LGBTQ+ rights including same-sex marriage and the 2022 Respect for Marriage Act, sharply condemned Harris’ explanation on his podcast, calling Democrats “deeply bigoted.” Cruz claimed Harris’ remarks showed that Buttigieg was disqualified for being gay, even as Harris’ record reflects decades of support for LGBTQ+ equality.

AI Censorship is here. Moviegoers in China say a key scene in the new horror film Together has been digitally altered to erase a gay couple and replace them with a heterosexual pair, according to Bloomberg News.

The film, directed by Michael Shanks and starring real-life couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie, originally included a same-sex wedding between two men. Audiences in China reported that one of the grooms’ faces was changed to a woman’s—apparently through AI—transforming the marriage into a heterosexual one. Because the wedding is central to the storyline, the edit not only erases LGBTQ+ representation but also makes the plot a lot harder to follow.

Several heterosexual sex scenes were also allegedly cut from the Chinese release.

Show Your Pride

We’re proud to spotlight our good friends at NYC Pride as they host the 2025 Corporate Summit on Monday, October 6, at Deutsche Bank in New York City.

This in-person gathering will bring together business leaders, advocates, and professionals for an afternoon of networking and meaningful discussion on how corporations can better support their LGBTQIA+ employees. It’s an important opportunity to learn from industry voices, share best practices, and strengthen commitments to inclusion in the workplace.