Women’s Leadership Luncheon

Wednesday, May 30

11:30AM-1PM

Portland Art Museum

Honoring Governor Barbara Roberts and PSU Women’s Basketball Coach Sherri Murrell.

Bent: A Hallow’s Eve Ball

Saturday, October 27

A fun and exciting dance party featuring over-the-top costumes, spooky décor, dancing and a whimsical celebration of the haunted season.

2013 Equity Awards

January 19, 2013

Governor Hotel

Recognizing a small, medium and large business that demonstrates excellence in their employment practices and policies that support the inclusion of all individuals.

Also recognizing community leaders with the John Grigsby-Jim Vegher Investments in Dignity Award and the David M. Crawford Memorial Award.

Download the full packet of sponsorship opportunities here: Equity Umbrella Sponsorship Packet.

QDoc Festival is thrilled to bring you the long-awaited documentary about Vito Russo as the Closing Night film.

VITO
Sunday, May 20th, 7pm
Kennedy School Theater
(5736 NE 33rd Avenue)
Tickets:  $9 general/ $7 senior/student
http://www.queerdocfest.org

Presented by QDoc with community partners Equity Foundation, Our House of Portland, and Cascade AIDS Project. Director Jeffrey Schwarz in attendance.

Russo was one of the most articulate, charismatic voices for gay rights since the early Gay Liberation days in 1970s New York. His parallel passions for cinema and gay rights came together in the book The Celluloid Closet, a groundbreaking study of gay and lesbian imagery and themes in film that remains a landmark in the field, and which subsequently became a major documentary film. As one of the founders of GLAAD, Russo led the charge in demanding an end to homophobic portrayals of gays and lesbians in the media.  As AIDS engulfed the gay community, Russo became one of the most ferocious critics of the Reagan administration’s response to the epidemic and a tireless advocate for people with AIDS.

Jeffrey Schwarz’s comprehensive and moving film tells Russo’s story through the voices of many of his friends and colleagues, among them Lily Tomlin, Armistead Maupin, Felice Picano and Larry Kramer. Intimate interviews with family members evoke a touching picture of Russo’s parents’ gradual embrace of everything he stood for. The epic nature of Russo’s place in a turbulent history is dynamically captured in a wealth of archival material.  VITO captures the essence of this remarkable man whose courage and wisdom will be celebrated for generations to come.

VITO: Dir Jeffrey Schwarz 2011 USA 93 minutes.

To reserve your seats, contact Joey Kerns at joeyk@equityfoundation.org or 503231-5759 ext 521.

 Click here to purchase tickets.

(Portland, OR) – On Wednesday, May 30, 2012, Equity Foundation will celebrate the women who work in service of equality at their 1st Annual Women’s Leadership Luncheon. Governor Barbara Roberts will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award for her tireless and steadfast activism as an Ally to Oregon’s LGBT community.

PSU Women’s Basketball Coach Sherri Murrell will also be honored with a Leadership Award for her courage and leadership as the only openly gay Division 1 Women’s Basketball Coach in the US.  Sports broadcasting pioneer Ann Schatz will serve as MC during the luncheon.

“At Equity Foundation, we think it’s important to recognize everyone working for equality. Many women give their time, energy and resources to Equity, and we want to celebrate and highlight that important and meaningful commitment,” says Peter Cunningham, Executive Director of Equity Foundation.

“This is not a women’s only event,” Cunningham continues, “but rather a chance for the entire community to come together and raise a glass to the women who work to advance LGBT equality and make our community stronger. Which is why we are honoring both Governor Roberts and Coach Murrell – they epitomize the strength and perseverance needed to lead the charge for equality in Oregon, and everywhere.”

The luncheon will be held in the Sunken Ballroom of the Portland Art Museum and will run from 11:30AM-1PM, and tickets are $75 per person.

Click here to purchase tickets. 

Save the date for Equity Foundation’s 1st Annual Women’s Leadership Luncheon

Celebrating the women making change in Oregon
Wednesday, May 30, 2012 | 11:30AM-1PM
Sunken Ballroom, Portland Art Museum

Tickets are $75 per person or $750 for a table of ten

More details to be released soon.

Eligible students who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender (GLBT), or are the children of GLBT parents, who reside in Oregon or Clark County Washington are encouraged to apply.  Preference will be placed on Latino/a candidates. 

The application for the PLGP Scholarship along with all Equity Foundation scholarships can be downloaded at www.equityfoundation.org/scholarships.  Deadline to apply is June 1.

Equity Foundation scholarship funds combined gave out a record $68,000 in GLBT scholarships last year!  The PLGP Scholarship is a welcome addition to the growing list of funds that benefit GLBT students in Oregon and Southwest Washington.

The mission of Equity Foundation is to build communities that advance the dignity and worth of all people.  Equity Foundation promotes philanthropy and positive interaction through college scholarships and by granting funds to organizations that work to eradicate prejudice against gender and sexual minorities and people from other diverse communities.

WHEREAS:

Costs associated with employee turnover are significant and far-reaching. Replacement costs to a company can reach 30-50% of the annual salary of entry-level employees, 150% of the annual salary middle level employees, and up to 400 percent of an executive’s annual salary for specialized, high level employees.  

The proponents believe that companies who choose not to discriminate in the extension of benefits to same-sex domestic partners gain a competitive edge in recruitment and retention. The equal provision of benefits sends a message of respect and inclusion, and conveys a tangible commitment to the principle that equal work deserves equal pay.

Aflac does not extend same-sex domestic partner benefits to its employees. Companies in the insurance industry that do include Aetna, AIG, Chubb, The Hartford, ING North America, MetLife, Nationwide, Unum, State Farm, Wellpoint, Humana, Cigna and others.

Eighty-three percent of the Fortune 100 provided domestic partner benefits in 2011, up from 64% in 2004. A growing proportion of the Fortune 500 also provided them in 2011 (58%, from 40% in 2004). According to a 2005 Hewitt Associates study, 64% of employers companies who offered domestic partner benefits to same-sex partners found that related expenses rose no more than 1 percent; 88% experienced financial impacts of 2% or less, and only 5% saw costs rise 3% or greater. (See http://www.hrc.org/resources/entry/domestic-partner-benefits-cost-and-utilization.)

On the occasion of scoring a 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corp Equality Index, which required including full domestic partner benefits, Tom McInerney; chairman and chief executive officer, ING Americas stated:
“ING is committed to attracting and retaining top talent. This commitment is the foundation to ensuring that we develop strong diversity and inclusion practices that promote equal opportunities for every individual in our organization. We are proud to receive recognition specific to our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) initiatives as it affirms our position that ING has created a welcoming environment in which individuals feel valued and respected.”

RESOLVED: shareholders request that the company provide same-sex domestic partner benefits to its employees within one year of Aflac’s 2012 annual meeting.

SUPPORTING STATEMENT:

Family-friendly benefits have become an important element of company strategies to address issues of work-life balance and recruitment and retention, as they become rising workforce priorities. We believe that companies offering family-friendly benefits profit from a more positive public image, and from factors such as increased recruitment and retention of skilled workers, improved employee productivity and morale, and improved quality of work-life that leads to reduced absenteeism, turnover, and stress.

As the baby boomers retire, the age of the average worker is projected to decrease over the next several decades. Competitive benefits packages can help retain younger workers and provide compensation beyond their relatively lower salary levels. 

In providing same-sex domestic partner benefits, the following areas should be included:

• Health benefits (medical, dental, vision, dependent coverage and COBRA benefits continuation)
• Retirement benefits (such as healthcare, pension plans and 401k’s), and
• Benefits that extend to married couples such as bereavement leave, relocation/travel assistance, education and tuition assistance, adoption assistance, credit union membership, disability and life insurance, and employee discounts.

Date:  Thursday, April 5th

Time:  7:00 pm 

Place:  Taylor-Meade Performing Arts Center
           Pacific University
           2014 Cedar St.
           Forest Grove, Oregon

Sponsors:  Pacific University’s Psychology Club/Psi Chi Chapter and College of Arts and Sciences Senate

Free and open to the public
Book signing and reception following the discussion

LeVay’s research has been at the center of discussion about what causes a person to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or straight since 1991, when he reported on research uncovering variability in forebrain brain structure between gay and straight men.  In this lecture, he will provide an update on the science and consider whether scientific knowledge about sexuality is relevant to how sexual minorities are treated by society.

LeVay, Ph.D., was born in England and trained at the universities of Cambridge (U.K.) and Göttingen (Germany).  He has served on the faculties of Harvard Medical School and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.  LeVay is the author or co-author of 11 books, including Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why (Oxford, 2011) and the college textbook Human Sexuality (Sinauer, 4th ed., 2012).

Pacific University fosters an environment rich in discourse and debate. Dr. LeVay’s views do not necessarily reflect those of Pacific University or its community members.

Information:  (503) 352-1538.

About this petition

In the 21st century discrimination against LGBT people is unacceptable – and unfortunately we believe that is precisely what insurance giant Aflac is doing. Aflac has recently refused the Equity Foundation’s request to include domestic partner benefits in the company’s employee benefit package. This is wrong and should not be allowed to stand. When companies provide equal benefits, it makes a very real difference in the lives of its LGBT employees and sends a message of respect and inclusion – conveying tangible commitment to the principle that equal work deserves equal pay.

Aflac is a terrible laggard in this regard. Eighty-three percent of the Fortune 100 provided domestic partner benefits in 2011, up from 64% in 2004. A growing proportion of the Fortune 500 also provided them in 2011 (58%, from 40% in 2004). Companies in the insurance industry that do provide equal benefits include Aetna, AIG, Chubb, The Hartford, ING North America, MetLife, Nationwide, Unum, State Farm, Wellpoint, Humana, and Cigna.

Please join the Equity Foundation by signing this petition and letting Aflac know that this is completely unacceptable. Pressing companies in this way has been successful at hundreds of companies – now is the time for us to speak with a unified voice to Aflac on this issue of basic fairness. We will present this petition to Aflac’s management and board of directors at its annual meeting in Georgia in May.

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