Out & Equal’s Jean-Marie Navetta on leading the change for LGBTQ+ workplace equality

Jean-Marie Navetta attended her first Out & Equal summit nearly 17 years ago — it was an experience she would never forget. Navetta vividly recalled standing in a ballroom surrounded by thousands of LGBTQ+ professionals, bright lights shining above her.

“They are all queer like me,” said Navetta, now the Vice President of Learning Programs at Out & Equal. “The ones that aren’t queer are allies who are here for me. It was a remarkable, life-changing experience.”

That moment, Navetta said, encapsulates everything she has worked for in her position at the San Francisco-based nonprofit. Founded in 1996, Out & Equal addresses global LGBTQ+ equality issues in the workforce, aiming to create an accepting work environment free of discrimination. In July 2023, Navetta joined the nonprofit’s mission, providing leading corporations and their employees with equality research, educational conferences, and professional development to foster workplaces that fully include and accept their queer employees.

“We are in the business of belonging,” Navetta said. “The large impact that we want to have is belonging for all is equality for all. It is ensuring that we are all having equitable experiences, that we are treated in the same way, that on paper the benefits, the policies, the practices, all are aligned in equal ways.”

Specifically, Out & Equal has a program called “Community Engagement Groups.” According to Navetta, the program’s initiative reflects her organization’s broader mission to ensure workplace inclusion goes beyond policies on paper and truly reflects the diverse needs of LGBTQ+ employees. The program provides a platform for queer professionals to discuss their unique experiences and challenges in the workplace, particularly for those with intersecting marginalized identities.

“We help the communities at the intersections of the LGBTQ+ space,” Navetta elaborated. “What does it mean to be queer and a person of color? Queer and a person of faith? Queer and specifically bi, lesbian, trans, or nonbinary identified?”

For Navetta, her work at Out & Equal is not just about implementing programs — it’s about making a broader impact on people’s lives. Navetta plans to continue inspiring the next generations of LGBTQ+ leaders. As she reflects on her coming-out journey in the latest episode of Out’s “Coming Out, Me” series, Navetta offers advice for those young queer professionals who are still navigating their identities.

“You don’t have to come out for other people,” said Navetta. “You’re coming out for yourself. Do it for you when you are ready, and just know that whatever words you use, or however you talk about it, is going to be perfect for you because it’s your story. You’re okay right where you are.”

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