levasseur@morgan.DEC (11/27/84)
The text that follows does not reflect the policies or views of
|d|i|g|i|t|a|l| Equipment Corporation
I attended a Thanksgiving Dinner party given by Chiltern (a local
gay men's mountain/outdoor group). One topic of dinner conversation
was *non-company sponsored* gay support/social groups that cater to
the needs of a corporation's gay population. I recieved a phone call
from a friend in another DEC facility telling me such a group was be-
ing started by two women for gay people within the company. The group
is not company sponsored nor does it meet on company property. It is
also not a political group (regarding corporate policies) but exists
as a social/support network where gay fellow employees can meet in a
non-threatening environment.
If a straight person's wife/husband dies or leaves them, they can
rely on co-workers for support and understanding; their boss may give
them time off. If a gay person's significant other leaves/dies, chan-
ces are that they won't be able to share their grief with straight co-
workers.
Grief aside; it's just nice to be able to pick up the phone and
make a luncheon date with a kindred spirit or go out to dinner after
work with a group of friends. In my own experience, I've found that
a lot of (men aspecially) shy away from such groups. The group ment-
ioned above is about 75% women.
I was wondering if anyone knew of groups that got started in other
companies and how successful they were. Did the members catch any
flack from the company, etc? This seems like an idea whose time has
come.
Hope everyone had a happy holiday!
Regards, Ray