Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1998 09:00:08 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAAD AND LHR COMPLETE GROUNDBREAKING 'SEXUAL ORIENTATION IN THE WORKPLACE' TRAININGS FOR LOS ANGELES CITY ATTORNEYS OFFICE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts: Mark Abelsson, Director of Workplace Education (GLAAD) ph: (213) 658-6775, e-mail: abelsson@glaad.org Maurice Destouet, Co-Chair (LHR) ph: (213) 637-9834, e-mail: mpdlalaw@earthlink.net GLAAD AND LHR COMPLETE GROUNDBREAKING 'SEXUAL ORIENTATION IN THE WORKPLACE' TRAININGS FOR LOS ANGELES CITY ATTORNEYS OFFICE LOS ANGELES, CA, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1998-The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and The Lesbian and Gay Bar Association (LHR) today announced that they have completed their joint training of GLAAD's "Sexual Orientation in the Workplace" seminar to the entire staff of the Los Angeles City Attorneys Office. Mark Abelsson, GLAAD's Director of Workplace Education, explained that, "The 'Sexual Orientation in the Workplace' seminar is a unique program, designed to help companies establish a more productive and inclusive work environment by eliminating stigma, fear and bigotry based on sexual orientation. The seminar utilizes a very interactive approach delivered by two highly trained volunteer facilitators, at least one of whom for this training was an attorney and LHR member." Forty seminars, training nearly 800 attorneys and support staff, were conducted during the five-month effort beginning last June. GLAAD developed a two-hour expanded and specialized version of its standard 90-minute seminar for this training. Joan M. Garry, GLAAD's Executive Director, stated, "We were very pleased to work with LHR and the City Attorneys Office. This training will help foster an increased awareness and understanding of the lesbian and gay community in an organization which has a tremendous impact on our community." Maurice Destouet, LHR Co-Chair, stated, "We are also very pleased to work with GLAAD on this vital training, and commend City Attorney Jim Hahn for taking this proactive approach to ensuring a discrimination-free workplace." James K. Hahn, Los Angeles City Attorney, stated, "GLAAD's 'Sexual Orientation in the Workplace,' seminar is an invaluable management tool I have used to reaffirm my strong commitment that no act of discrimination based on sexual orientation, or any other discriminatory conduct, will be tolerated in the Office of the City Attorney. I commend GLAAD and LHR on their efforts, and would urge any employer to integrate GLAAD's program into their workplace training curricula." GLAAD is the nation's lesbian and gay media advocacy organization. GLAAD promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representations of individuals and events in the media as a means of combating homophobia and all forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. The Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Los Angeles County (LHR) was founded in 1979 as a support network for lesbian, gay and bisexual lawyers, law students and legal workers in the Los Angeles area. LHR is an affiliate of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and participates with the larger legal community through legal advocacy, education, social functions and political and civic activities. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) glaad@glaad.org TO REPORT DEFAMATION IN THE MEDIA - Call GLAAD's Alertline at 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or go to the GLAAD Web Site at www.glaad.org and report through our Alertline Online. TO JOIN GLAAD AND RECEIVE GLAAD's QUARTERLY IMAGES MAGAZINE, call 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or join on the Web today at www.glaad.org/glaad/join/join-about.html TO SUBSCRIBE TO GLAAD-Net, GLAAD's electronic mailing list, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Subscribe GLAAD-Net" TO UNSUBSCRIBE, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Unsubscribe GLAAD-Net" The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is a national organization that promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation of individuals and events in the media as a means of combatting homophobia and challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc.