Will recession imperil LGBT workplace diversity?

[Butterfly]

Will recession imperil LGBT workplace diversity?
Washington Blade
By: D'Arcy Kemnitz 
April 24, 2009


http://www.washingtonblade.com/2009/4-24/view/editorial/14435.cfm


OUR DIVERSITY IS our strength. That catchphrase ruled the last decade as workplace diversity training programs for racial and sexual minorities soared to ubiquity at corporate headquarters across the country. The premise is simple: Employees with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences and sensitivities are better able to represent the needs of an increasingly diverse marketplace. The argument is that diversity is more than just the right thing to do; it also makes good business sense.

This theory is about to meet its first major test as global financial pressures force companies to take a hard look at budget priorities. As corporations initiate cutbacks of "non-essential" spending, we are about to find out exactly how "essential" LGBT diversity was really considered in the first place.