10 Engaging LGBTQIA+ Speakers for Any Month
The month of June is designated as a time to honor the movement for LGBTQ+ rights and celebrate the diversity of its community. While advances have surely been made since the 1969 Stonewall Riots, anti-LGBTQ+ laws in the U.S. and around the world continue to increasingly target community members—and roll back any gains that have been achieved.
Given that, it’s more important now than ever to invite LGBTQ+ speakers into organizations of all types—at any time during the year—to share their stories, raise awareness, build bridges of allyship, and ensure that a culture of belonging is being fostered.
We’re highlighting ten LGBTQ+ speakers who are making significant impacts in leadership development, DEIB, gender-affirming care and mental wellbeing within organizations across the globe.
LaTonya Wilkins
Author of Leading Below the Surface, LaTonya Wilkins (she/her) is a coach, speaker, and workshop facilitator whose guiding principle is “to create real change in the workplace.” One way the founder of The Change Coaches is doing this is as a diversity and inclusion consultant. Her work was featured as one of the most inclusive HR influencers in 2019. Read more about LaTonya Wilkins »
Stephanie Battaglino
The owner of Follow Your Heart, Stephanie Battaglino (she/her) is widely known for her workplace inclusion consulting and as an author and presenter. Stephanie’s guiding principle—”I believe I have been brought to this point in the history of the DEI movement with a clear and specific objective: to educate, to inform, to inspire.”—states clearly her intention of fostering change. An international speaker, Stephanie’s book Reflections from Both Sides of the Glass Ceiling: Finding my True Self in Corporate America is out now. Learn more about Stephanie Battaglino »
Rhodes Perry
Nationally acclaimed thought leader Rhodes Perry (he/him) serves as a consultant, speaker, and workshop facilitator, and currently serves on the National LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce’s Transgender Inclusion Task Force. This visionary and best-selling author of Belonging at Work creates cultures of change through a focus on trust and psychological safety. Their guiding principle, “To build belonging at work, center those least likely to feel psychologically safe” speaks to their sincerity. Read more about Rhodes Perry »
K Strohl
K Strohl (they/she/he), a military veteran, boundaries specialist, and keynote speaker on workplace psychological safety, confronts the challenges of personal and professional boundaries in their weekly podcast Absolutely Not! Their guiding principle—”Authentically servicing others while warm and boundaried.”—helps create a safe space in his workshops and work with organizations to ensure that participants have the tools and vocabulary needed to create safe spaces, and examine how they experience and engage with the world. Learn more about K Strohl »
Max Siegel
Speaking on both Transgender and LGBTQ+ issues, Max Siegel (they/he) consults with companies on internal and external DEI issues. Their guiding principle, “Lived experience, education, and conversation,” speaks to their belief in keeping the lines of knowledge open on all levels. He specializes in sharing lived experiences and creating marketing campaigns that align with his key values: representation and authenticity. See more about Max Siegel »
Dallas Ducar
As the CEO of Transhealth and an expert on gender-affirming care, Dallas Ducar (she/her) actively works to empower patients and restore a community focus to healthcare. She serves as the Co-Chair of the Primary Care Alliance, is on the LGBTQI Federal Policy Roundtable, and advocates for gender-affirming care nationally. Read more on Dallas Ducar »
Madison Butler
A designer of psychologically safe spaces, Madison Butler (she/her) has been named a Top Black Voice to Follow by LinkedIn. Madison is committed to deconstructing the status quo and rebuilding corporate America, one organization at a time. Her mission is to ensure that no one ever feels like spaces were not made for them because we all deserve to live out loud. See more on Madison Butler »
Arthur Woods
Named to the 40 Under 40 List by BEQ and the 30 Under 30 List by Forbes, Arthur Woods (he/him) is a consultant and inclusion and diversity speaker. Best selling author of Hiring for Diversity, his guiding principle, “Growing diversity in our organizations starts with individual empathy, leadership, and empowering those around us to take responsibility,” highlights his focus on helping organizations assess and build equitable hiring practices. Read more about Arthur Woods »
Trystan Reese
Anti-racism workshop facilitator, coach, consultant, and speaker Trystan Reese (he/him) has spent two decades in his field. He studied under Rev. Dr. Jamie Washington at the Social Justice Training Institute and is a professional curriculum designer for anti-racism coursework. His guiding principle, “We believe that change is developmental, so a ‘one size fits all’ approach is rarely effective,” speaks to his customized training solutions for individuals, organizations, and communities interested in social justice. Learn more about Trystan Reese »
Dr. Steve Yacovelli
An expert in emotional intelligence and inclusion, Dr. Steve Yacovelli (he/him), also known as “The Gay Leadership Dude®”, is a coach, speaker, workshop facilitator and consultant along with being the award-winning author of Pride Leadership. The principle, “Making people, organizations, and the world more inclusive for us all,” guides his approach to corporate learning, change management, diversity and inclusion, and leadership consulting. Read more about Steve Yacovelli »
No matter if they are delivering keynotes, addressing change at the legislative level, or presenting to ERGs, these fearless leaders are speaking truth to power during a time of increasingly vital importance. View all of our LGBTQ+ speakers here or contact us for more information about engaging one of our experts for Pride in June, or any month throughout the year.
About the author
Kelly Campbell is the founder of Consciousness Leaders and Trauma-Informed Conscious Leadership Coach to self-aware visionaries. She writes for Entrepreneur and has written for Forbes. They are the author of "Heal to Lead" (Wiley, 2024), a new book on transforming past trauma in order to uncover our innate leadership power.