I just returned from attending the Out & Equal Summit in Austin, Texas. Out & Equal is the national organization whose mission is to work towards LGBT equality in the workplace. (LGBT stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender.)

I was impressed with the number of organizations and their senior leadership that attended. Companies such as Deloitte, Hewlett Packard, Pepsico, Boeing and Lockheed were well represented. The CEO of Clorox along with the CFO were in attendance.

Creating inclusion for LGBT people is not only the “right thing” to do, but it will foster environments where people can do their best work and add to the success of any organization. Businesses also recognize that they need to be able to tap into the LGBT market and increase the amount of happy customers.