SWE - Spring 2008 - (Page 38) understand anything and everything they can learn about the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community,” she said. The only time her sexuality raised issues was when she worked in Texas. A co-worker whose daughter was gay warned Loh that she should be careful of what she said because the town in which they lived could be less than friendly. “He did it in a supportive manner,” Loh said of the co-worker’s advice. Loh is gratified that top corporate executives at DuPont support her. When she served as the facilitator for the panel discussion, “LGBTs and their Allies in the Workplace,” at the SWE conference last year, she said she was heartened that DuPont managers who were attending the conference came to the event to show their support. “It is a great feeling to know that we don’t have to beg for support.” Christine McLean, a project manager at Turpin & Rattan Engineering Inc., attended the SWE panel discussion to get guidance and tips on workplace issues for LGBT employees. McLean, who is gay, said she was impressed by the progress that LGBT employees have made, including obtaining medical insurance coverage for their partners at many companies. McLean, 26, said she has encountered no discrimination and is encouraged by the support she has received from her supervisor, Vice President Vickie Fortie. Indeed, Fortie asked McLean to help update the company’s Christine McLean Web site to reflect support of all kinds of diversity. McLean said she took the advice of the panelists at the SWE conference to state simply, “This is my partner,” when she brought her partner to company events. “It worked,” she said. “I was so concerned about it, but at the Christmas party, it was much easier than I had thought.” Though McLean grew up in San Diego, where her family and the community are supportive, she is still learning to be comfortable with her identity. “I need to let go and let people take it, leave it, love it, or whatever,” she said. McLean, who came out while a junior at San Diego State University, is impressed that younger women are being more open about their identities. “I went to an amusement park and I saw young girls, maybe 16, who were very open,” she said. “I was amazed.” McLean said she had no support groups at her high school, and she remembers kids being cruel and making judgments about one of their peers who had come out. “Now, the issues are ‘out there’ and more people are talking about them,” she said. “The priority is to educate people.” I 38 SWE SPRING 2008 http://pbsj.com http://pbsj.com
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