- AT&T's Partner …
- in the workplace …
in the marketplace …
in the community.Workplace Empowerment
The first Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay and Transgender (LBGT) Employee group in Corporate America, LEAGUE was founded as Lesbian and Gay United Employees at AT&T in 1987, in Denver, Colorado. In 1992, our name was changed to include first, bisexual and then transgender employees. Though our acronym remained the same, our name got a little longer: Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay and Transgender United Employees at AT&T.LEAGUE began its role of LBGT Employee Advocate in 1988, when it was recognized as the two-way communication vehicle between management and the AT&T gay community. In 1992, at AT&T's request, LEAGUE became a national organization, with 14 chapters around the country. In 1996, LEAGUE trivested into three separate corporate groups to align with AT&T, Lucent and NCR. Today, LEAGUE has 17 local chapters and is the largest such group in the United States.
Around 1990, LEAGUE developed the Safe Space* Program, a means for employees to create a supportive environment. Employees easily convey this supportive environment to the LBGT community through the display of a Safe Space magnet or decal. Today, the program has been adopted by numerous schools, businesses and government agencies.
Since its inception, LEAGUE has partnered with AT&T Human Resources (HR) to promote and value diversity in the workplace. LEAGUE created a speakers' bureau in 1991, staffed by members trained to speak about LEAGUE, gay issues in the workplace and the value of diverse work groups to the business
LEAGUE's Annual Professional Development Conferences, initiated in 1992, provide a forum for all employees to explore LBGT workplace issues and an empowering environment to learn new skills and knowledge, with the goal of making LEAGUE members more effective employees.
Since 1992, LEAGUE had championed domestic partner benefits for employees to the Corporation. LEAGUE provided updates on changing trends in employee benefits, and supplied business cases for several "like" corporations. LEAGUE also created an AT&T business case for inclusive employee benefits, which was endorsed – in 1996 – by all seven of AT&T's Business Resource Groups. In 1996, LEAGUE put a personal face on this issue with the "LEAGUE Family Album." This collection of written portraits encompassed the rich diversity of "families" found in our employee community and illustrated the need for domestic partner benefits.
Domestic partner benefits were part of the Union contracts AT&T negotiated in 1998. Shortly thereafter, these benefits were extended to management employees. By the end of the year, LBGT employees were able to "sign up" for these benefits, which started in January 1999.
Marketplace Development
In 1993, LEAGUE successfully showed AT&T the value of marketing to the LBGT community. LEAGUE gathered customer data at the 1-million-strong 1993 March on Washington through a simple, but highly effective, brochure entitled, It's Great to Be Gay at AT&T.In 1994, results from the customer survey inspired numerous marketing efforts to our community, including the first direct-mail piece to the LBGT community from a Fortune 50 company. The ad – a collaborative effort between LEAGUE members, a leading gay-owned advertising agency, Prime Access, Inc. and AT&T advertising personnel – was so unique, it was mentioned in articles in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Advertising Age. The brochure is still used as an example of effective target marketing to our community.
Other 1994 efforts included AT&T's participation as a vendor at GAY GAMES IV in New York City. More than 100 LEAGUE members from around the country volunteered either to assist in direct sales or provide translation services for the Games' visitors. LEAGUE also supported direct consumer sales at the 1st National Gay and Lesbian Business and Consumer Expo, the Halstead Market Days and numerous Pride festivals in major cities across the country. LEAGUE members continue this tradition today.
AT&T's support of LEAGUE and the professionalism of these volunteers created a lasting and positive impression on lesbian and gay consumers, giving AT&T a significant marketplace differentiator. This marketplace advantage is reflected in AT&T's current market share for this community.
Community Involvement
Community involvement could be LEAGUE's middle name. Since its beginnings in 1987, LEAGUE members have given time and money for many worthy community projects and charitable organizations. LEAGUE members have been goodwill ambassadors for the organization, as well as AT&T.Following are a few noteworthy volunteer efforts and a list of some of the organizations LEAGUE assists.
To recognize AT&T employees who have died of AIDS, our members developed and displayed two panels for the Names Quilts. Each panel was dedicated at an International Names Quilt Display in Washington, D.C. – the first in 1993, the second in 1996. LEAGUE organized hundreds of AT&T volunteers who contributed to these and more recent Quilt events.
In 1995, LEAGUE was the only employee organization invited to the White House to discuss issues affecting our community, and LEAGUE and the AT&T Foundation contributed more than $7,000 to the Holocaust Museum.
In January 1996, LEAGUE members sponsored fundraisers to assist the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing.
In 1996, the LEAGUE Foundation was created to provide the first college scholarships – from any source – targeted at LBGT youth. The first two scholarships were awarded at LEAGUE's Sixth Annual Professional Development Conference in May 1997. In 1998, the LEAGUE Foundation awarded scholarships to five LBGT youths. And in 1999, the LEAGUE Foundation awarded ten scholarships – two of them in memory of Matthew Shepard, the college student murdered in Wyoming because he was gay.
LEAGUE members also actively volunteer and contribute to the communities where we live and work. Members have donated countless hours to sponsor and support fundraising events for AIDS support organizations, blood drives, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Cancer walks/runs, Habitat for Humanity projects, and holiday drives to assist the underprivileged and other projects aimed at improving the quality of life in their communities.
LEAGUE members have also obtained ongoing Corporate support and sponsorship for many of these activities, either through AT&T Foundation programs or local AT&T sponsors.
Some community organizations and events that benefit from LEAGUE volunteers and donations:
- 1996 Summer Olympic Games
- The Academy of Friends
- AIDS Walk 1991-1999 (various cities)
- The Atlanta Gay Center
- C&O Canal Cleanup
- Centaur
- Chamber Music Society of New York
- The Children's Place
- GALY (Gay and Lesbian Youth)
- Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC)
- Georgia Public School System
- GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation)
- GLOBE (Gays and Lesbians Organized for Betterment and Equality of the East Bay)
- God's Love We Deliver
- The Holocaust Museum
- Hope and Health
- HRC (Human Rights Campaign)
- Hyacinth AIDS Foundation
- Jacksonville Gay Men's Chorus
- League of Women Voters
- LESBIGAY Rodeo
- Maryland Public Television
- NAMES Project
- NGLTF (National Gay and Lesbian Task Force)
- Oklahoma City Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Parade
- Parents and Friends of Lesbian and Gays (PFLAG)
- People With Aids Coalition
- The Phoenix Open
- Pioneer Adopt-a-School Project
- Project Harvest
- Project Open Hand
- Red Cross Flood Victims Blanket Drive
- San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus
- Serenity House
- Steven Grammar School
- Unity Dinner
- U.S. Women's Olympic Trials
- Victory Fund
- Washington, D.C. Gay Men's Chorus
- WETA Public Television
- White House Conference on HIV/AIDS
- Women in the Military Service Memorial
- For more current information and details, visit these pages:
- Community Involvement
Detailed History
LEAGUE Foundation
* Safe Space and the Safe Space logo are registered trademarks of EQUAL! at Lucent, licensed to LEAGUE at AT&T.