As Mental Health Awareness Month begins, I’ve been thinking a lot about our current moment—and what it means for our well-being.

The recent attacks on the LGBTQ+ community—and the values of diversity, inclusion, and belonging we hold dear—can take an immense emotional toll. Championing progress can be incredibly meaningful work. But it can also be draining. Just bearing witness to the attacks on LGBTQ+ equality can be exhausting in itself; 90% of LGBTQ+ young people said their well-being was negatively impacted due to recent politics.

The question isn’t whether our movement will continue pushing forward. We can. We will. We always have. But it does seem fair to ask: how do we maintain the strength to persevere?

First, breathe. It’s in these moments that I take time to quiet the noise, reflect, and remind myself of what I—and we—have been working so hard for. Diversity, inclusion, and belonging benefit us all: as individuals, as teams, and as a society-at-large. These are goals worth fighting for—and we will build workplaces that reflect them.

And I remind myself that I don’t have to go it alone. Our community’s perseverance is unstoppable. As we confront the challenges facing us, we must lean on one another, embrace our differences and strengths, and remind each other of our shared ambitions. We will create moments to reflect, shed burdens, express grief, recharge, and celebrate continued progress.

We will do all that through the power of community. Because in one another, we find joy, strength, and solace that illuminate the way forward.

Research and studies from organizations across the globe show that LGBTQ+ people struggle with their mental health at higher rates than those who identify as heterosexual. This is paired with a lack of trust by the community in the healthcare system and larger systemic inequities in healthcare specific to LGBTQ+ needs. This all leads to unnecessarily problematic, dangerous, and unfair healthcare outcomes.

It’s why approaching health and wellbeing with an intersectional and inclusive lens, while prioritizing LGBTQ+ health and wellness specifically, is incredibly important.

In 2020, Out & Equal released a report examining how organizations can support the mental health and wellbeing of their team members year-round. And while this report was completed within the context of COVID-19, the insights still hold true today. Read more here.

Watch Related Content from Out & Equal's Workplace Summit through the years:

• Recover Well: Addressing Burnout, Well being, and Thriving
• An Intersectional Approach to Wellbeing
• Uncovering Culture: Are Your LGBTQIA+ Employees Hiding Who They Really Are?
• It's Personal: Life Beyond the Headlines
• The Power of Vulnerability and Creating Psychological Safety for LGBTQ+ Employees
• Promoting The Health And Wellbeing Of Your Gender Expansive Workforce (2022 Summit Featured Session)

Recognizing International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia

Recognized each year on May 17, International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) aims to acknowledge and honor the lives lost to hate and injustice, while raising awareness of the ongoing violence and discrimination perpetuated against the LGBTQ+ community across the globe. It is a poignant, and stark reminder of the work that lies ahead and the progress we must still achieve.

And while IDAHOBIT serves as a moment of reflection for the community, it is also a confirmation of how essential intentional and authentic allyship to the LGBTQ+ community is and continues to be.

So, what does intentional and authentic allyship look like? It’s not only standing alongside the LGBTQ+ community, but stranding in front of it. While vocal support is an essential component, allyship must go beyond words and performative gestures. The community needs allies to leverage their spheres of influence to carve a path forward and advance equity for all LGBTQ+ people across the globe, in both instances and in systemic ways. We encourage you to read more on this topic, which is featured in our February 2024 Newsletter that highlights inclusion, intentionality, and intersectionality.

Spotlight: Out & Equal Releases New Resources

In April, to acknowledge Financial Literacy Month, Out & Equal released a suite of capability and empowerment resources for individuals, workplaces, and financial institutions to help ensure more equitable financial wellness across the LGBTQ+ community.

Read them all here:

• 4 Things LGBTQ+ People Should Know and Do to Improve Their Financial Well-Being

• 3 Things Employers Should Know and Do to Improve the Financial Well-Being of Their Company and LGBTQ+ Employees

• From Knowledge to Action: How the Financial Services Sector Can Better Serve the LGBTQ+ Community

We are thrilled to be offering multiple in-person, Partner-exclusive gatherings around the world in the coming weeks in Latin America (LATAM), the American South, and Asia-Pacific (APAC).

Together, through these one-of-a-kind convenings, we will continue working towards creating workplaces and workplace cultures where LGBTQ+ employees and allies belong, thrive, and contribute to greater impact.

Driving Impact Across the Globe: Register Now for Out & Equal’s Global Forums

May 9, 2024

Convening this week

June 6, 2024

Presented by Airbus

Download the agenda here!

Registration is closing!

July 16, 2024

Download the session abstracts here!

Registration closes on June 21!

Workplace Summit, the largest LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion event in the world, is an Out & Equal Partner exclusive event. Registration will be opening soon. Want to attend Summit, but you're not a Partner? Learn more about becoming one today.

Submit Your Learning Session Proposals Now!

Put your best foot forward! With only 90 workshop sessions available, and more than 400 submitting organizations, our learning sessions represent the very best in emerging trends and strategies. Lead with your most compelling work in LGBTQ+ workplace belonging, policy, and advocacy.

The deadline to submit proposals is Friday, May 24.

Submit Your Nomination for the Outie Awards Now!

Since its inception more than 20 years ago, Out & Equal has recognized more than 100 individuals, organizational practices, and ERGs across a range of categories whose work is proven to have advanced LGBTQ+ workplace equity and belonging for all. Our finalists each year are role models, having demonstrated replicable inclusive leadership efforts in their organizations and beyond.

The Outie Award is presented to winners at the annual Out & Equal Workplace Summit, elevating the award-winners’ profile as an LGBTQ+ inclusion champion and providing visibility for Partner organizations.

The deadline to nominate is Wednesday, July 10.

At Out & Equal, we work with the world's leading and most influential companies—and the inclusive leaders in these organizations—to advance LGBTQ+ representation, equity, inclusion, and belonging in the workplace. 

We’re proud to welcome Braskem America, Inc., CCS Fundraising, NASA-SEWP, OpenText, and

U.S. Bank as our newest members of the Out & Equal Partner Community.

Join the Out & Equal Community