Date: Tue, 16 Jun 1998 11:24:45 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAAD AND LHR CONDUCT 'SEXUAL ORIENTATION IN THE WORKPLACE' TRAININGS FOR LOS ANGELES CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE MEDIA RELEASE 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 CONDUCT 'SEXUAL ORIENTATION IN THE WORKPLACE' TRAININGS FOR LOS ANGELES CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE LOS ANGELES, CA, TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 1998-The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and LHR: The Lesbian and Gay Bar Association (LHR) today announced that they are co-sponsoring presentations of GLAAD's "Sexual Orientation in the Workplace" seminar for the entire staff of the Los Angeles City Attorney's 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 establish a more productive work environment by ensuring greater inclusion and by eliminating stigma, fear and bigotry based on sexual orientation. The seminar utilizes a very interactive approach-which studies show is the most effective form of workplace training-to help foster a workplace climate of openness, teamwork and cooperation. The seminar is delivered by two highly trained volunteer facilitators, at least one of whom is an attorney." Over 800 attorneys and support staff will be trained during this four month effort which began June 2nd. Last September, Hollywood Supports transferred its highly successful "Sexual Orientation in the Workplace" seminar to GLAAD. Hollywood Supports had been training the supervisory personnel at the LAPD for over a year prior to the transfer. GLAAD finished the trainings for the LAPD earlier this year, and has now developed a two-hour expanded and specialized version of its standard 90-minute seminar for the City Attorney's Office. Joan M. Garry, GLAAD's Executive Director, stated, "We are very pleased to be able to work with LHR and the City Attorney's 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, added, "We are also very pleased to be joining GLAAD in this groundbreaking work, and look forward to expanding our joint efforts in the future." 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. LHR is 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. -30- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 DISPATCH AND 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" GLAAD is a national organization that promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation as a means of 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.