Witeck Communications, Inc.

10/15/2024

As Mark Twain might say, the rumors of the death of DEI are greatly exaggerated.

Join me and Erin Uritus in sharing the truth that the is not only alive and well but changing the world for the better.

Every fiber in our being reminds us that "success in life as well as in business requires showing up authentically, openly, and confidently. That can only happen when individuals feel a true sense of safety and belonging."

Brands like Lowe’s and Toyota have recently cut back on DEI. However, many other companies continue to believe that DEI is good for business.

10/11/2024

Looking back more than three decades, National Coming Out Day is a marker of how far we've come today. As well as how much work we have ahead. Thank you to Lauren Rowello for capturing our dialogue.

"In the future, engaging with LGBTQ+ people as customers and employees will only more strongly echo what Bob Witeck has attempted to instill from the start—that leaders who want LGBTQ+ business and talent need to pursue those relationships with integrity."

“Gay people should not be the victims of economics. We should be the drivers,” underlined Witeck. “That’s our whole purpose [as a firm]—to influence positive outcomes, not to settle for second-class status.”

Bob Witeck, a pioneering LGBTQ+ business leader, helped American Airlines and other companies embrace DEI and LGBTQ+ inclusion.

09/19/2024

President John Kennedy once observed: "Geography has made us neighbors. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners, and necessity has made us allies. Those whom God has so joined together, let no man put asunder."

This week, I am especially proud to toast the NGLCC - The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce to mark our first twenty years as partners, friends and allies. As the first American company certified as an owned business beginning in 2004, I toast thousands of my fellow entrepreneurs, businesses and executives who help grow our economic clout and visibility.

05/23/2024

My friend, Calla Devlin, is an outstanding communicator and powerful advocate for inclusion and acceptance. She knows, as business leaders today recognize, the commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is not a hollow acronym. It signifies a rising tide that powers our economy, spurs our productivity and improves our well-being as a nation. As hashtag Pride season begins, take her words to heart in her op ed published today by Newsweek:

"The political attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) overlook a simple truth. Far from giving special treatment to the benefit of the few, these values create a society that is better for everyone, where all of us can feel that we belong."

"And that brings us back to what it means to experience true belonging – while working, shopping, or gathering. Belonging is a feeling that results from empathy – for the historically disadvantaged but also for everyone else. Importantly, a sense of belonging means that when our different identities, life experiences, and perspectives are allowed to surface authentically, we all enjoy wide-ranging benefits such as innovation, national competitiveness, profits, and improved quality of life."

"Fostering a climate where everyone belongs means excelling as a company and hiring the best employees from the largest possible talent pool. McKinsey & Company found "a 39 percent increased likelihood of outperformance for those in the top quartile of ethnic representation versus the bottom quartile." Workday released survey results in February in which 78% of 2,600 global business leaders across departments said the importance of DEI increased in the past 12 months."

The political attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) overlook a simple truth.

05/13/2024

Equality is a tide that rewards all Americans and all families. Thank you, Evan Wolfson, and legions of activists, advocates, allies and patriots whose determination, fearlessness and truth-telling succeeded.

"More than one million same-sex couples have now been married, and the Rand researchers found that they have reaped the benefits of marriage that have long been well-documented for different-sex couples. In states that legalized same-sex marriage, LGBTQ people had higher levels of health-insurance coverage and lower rates of sexually transmitted infections and problematic substance use, according to the report. They also had higher earnings and rates of homeownership."

"The widespread public approval suggests most people don’t believe the horrors once forecast have resulted from same-sex marriage’s legalization, and now there is evidence to prove it. A comprehensive new research report by the Rand organization finds that the consequences of two decades of legal same-sex marriage have been broadly positive for gay and straight Americans alike."

"The researchers, who surveyed the existing literature and conducted their own analysis, could find no negative effects on straight couples’ rates of marriage, divorce or cohabitation as states legalized same-sex marriage. In fact, the effect on different-sex marriages was slightly positive. Meanwhile, same-sex couples saw a range of improved outcomes, such as greater health and financial security. “Overall, the fears of opponents of same-sex marriage simply have not come to pass,” said the study’s co-author, Benjamin R. Karney, a Rand researcher and UCLA psychology professor."

Opponents warned the consequences would be dire. Now, evidence shows the effects have been largely positive.

11/17/2023

Erin Uritus brings sunlight, clarity, confidence and vision to all she touches. Her path leading Out & Equal Workplace Advocates caps a career of pioneering change and progress towards equality around the world. We cannot be more proud.

"The U.S. had almost 500 anti-LGBTQ bills last year, and dozens of those have actually become law," says Out & Equal's Erin Uritus, who says now is the time for large organizations "to be able to make a difference in the lives of their LGBTQ employees."

11/06/2023

Virginia is the only state in the South that has more protections for than discriminatory policies against LGBTQ+ people.

Tomorrow - Tuesday, November 7 - all Virginians have the chance to support, defend and protect our Commonwealth's civil and human rights as well as to defend reproductive choice.

Virginia is the only state in the South that has more protections for than discriminatory policies against LGBTQ+ people.

09/02/2023

I am especially proud of my two terms service to the Board of Visitors of , and its leadership serving + students, faculty and staff in Virginia.

"George Mason University is one of only 30 institutions nationwide, and the only one in Virginia, to be awarded a 2023 “best of the best” ranking in Campus Pride’s recently released survey."

"The acknowledgment adds to a growing list of accolades for the university for creating a welcoming and supportive campus for students, faculty, and staff, including:

"A national No. 7 ranking, and No. 1 in Virginia, for developing high-level support networks for LGBTQ+ students, faculty, and staff, according to a combined report by Best Colleges and Campus Pride.

"A five-star Premiere Campus ranking by the Campus Pride Index.

"And a 100% score in the Athletic Equity Index, one of just 19 institutions to receive that distinction in an examination of how NCAA Division I institutions support LGBTQ+ student-athletes.

“Mason is a place where all are welcome, supported, and can find their community,” said Rose Pascarell, vice president for University Life at Mason. “It is important to highlight these rankings to celebrate the students, faculty, staff, and community partners who have made Mason a national leader in this space.”

George Mason University is one of only 30 institutions nationwide, and the only one in Virginia, to be awarded a 2023 “best of the best” ranking in Campus Pride’s recently released survey.

08/15/2023

"Gosh, mister. I'd hate to see your store damaged accidentally by the kerosene and matches I'm carrying while I run down your aisles."

The lawsuit against Target signals a new tactic for America First Legal, a legal group headed by former Trump adviser Stephen Miller.

07/31/2023

Friends, the deadline is August 28 this year to nominate the best and brightest among Washington DC's LGBTQ+ Business Leaders. As in the past, both individuals and corporations will be singled out - and for the first time, Employee Resource Groups, will be honored too. I was privileged to be named among the first honorees and to help judge other deserving leaders.

Now in it's 6th year, the Washington Business Journal's recently renamed LGBTQ+ Business Awards (formally known as the Business of Pride) will honor Greater Washington companies and business leaders for outstanding practices in advancing LGBTQ+ leadership and equality. These leaders are making headlines and paving the way for diversity and inclusion in the corporate world. We’re also pleased to honor companies that work to raise the bar with programs, practices and policies that advance LGBTQ+ equality and leadership in the workplace.

The LGBTQ+ Business Awards recognize individual honorees who support and promote the LGBTQ+ communities by making a difference in the corporate world, and the Corporate LGBTQ+ Awards recognize outstanding employee resource groups that are advancing LGBTQ+ leadership and equality.

2023 LGBTQ+ Business Awards, Washington Business Journal - Join us in honoring business leaders and companies raising the bar to advance LGBTQ+ equality and leadership in the workplace.

06/22/2023

“Our community is nearly invisible in mainstream advertising, with room to grow both in scale and in quality. The ad industry is decades behind television and film when it comes to LGBTQ inclusion, but consumers are ready and willing to see the industry grow the quality, quantity, and diversity of ads,” writes Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD’s president and chief executive officer, in the report. “Brands that keep us invisible to appease anti-LGBTQ activists are not only missing a large and loyal consumer base today, but are missing a future generation of consumers and employees who demand that brands include LGBTQ people and other diverse communities in authentic and organic ways.”

Plenty of conservatives insist LGBTQ people are everywhere in the media. Yet GLAAD finds that only 3% of ads in its national sample include LGBTQ representation.

06/20/2023

"Witeck and others say that these challenges present a company with the opportunity to make good on its stated values. Protestors on social media or in stores railing against these issues may be expressing anxiety about them, but that shouldn’t mean retreat, they said."

“Anxiety is exactly how gay people feel. So if you understand this anxiety, imagine it times 10 for somebody else, and then sympathize with that,” Witeck said. “Say ‘Our job is not to make more people feel anxious or to make them feel insecure. Our job is to be principled.’ And when you say you value someone, act like it.”

Brand values, diversity efforts and customer loyalty are put to the test as extremists come for corporate America.