Pride programming -
In person & virtual workshops
Our 2024 LGBTQ+ PRIDE Workshops
Our team of facilitators is diverse and our workshops are always intersectional, interactive, and practical. We’ve got you covered with LGBTQ+ training and workshops that address allyship, trans inclusion, LGBTQ+ history, and even LGBTQ+ leadership development.
Over 20% of Gen Z are identifying as LGBTQ+, yet the "alphabet soup" of letters confuses many well-meaning colleagues. In this program, we define key terms, dig into policies that affect the LGBTQ+ community, and share tools to build allies – and be an ally. There’s even a little trivia!
In this workshop, we explore key milestones in 20th and 21st century LGBTQ+ history with an intersectional lens. Attendees will learn about a cast of diverse characters as we discuss the LGBTQ experience during WWII, the Lavender Scare, Stonewall Riots, the fight for marriage equality, and the recent Bostock decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.
This high-energy keynote session helps attendees see how their marginalized identities are a great leadership asset. The session highlights key principles of leadership through a queer lens. This is a high-energy, high-engagement keynote designed to help LGBTQ+ people feel confident and empowered to fulfill their potential as an emerging leader within your organization.
In this workshop, attendees learn how to be trans allies. This session is led transgender or non-binary facilitator who will help attendees better understand the diversity of this community, its history, and its modern day progresses and challenges.
Our team trivia guru, Maui Jones, will lead your organization through an interactive and high energy Pride trivia event. Questions will be varied, global, and intersectional, so attendees will learn about history, pop culture, art, music and more in one engaging event.
Meet Our Facilitators
Daniel Downer (he/him)
SENIOR FACILITATOR
Daniel J. Downer is an award-winning community advocate, facilitator, and speaker with a long history of advocating for Black and Brown LGBTQ+ and social movements in Central Florida. Through his work with various community initiatives and organizations, he has led community conversations on and facilitated community education campaigns specifically addressing diversity, equity, health equity, HIV, inclusion and LGBTQ+ issues.
Daniel currently serves as the Executive Director of The Bros in Convo Initiative, a community organization in Orlando educating and empowering young Black gay, bisexual, queer, and same gender loving men. In acknowledgment of his commitment to health and social equity, Daniel was honored by GLAAD as a 2018 Rising Star Award honoree, in 2019 The Red Door Foundation Leadership Achievement Award, and in 2020 The Demetrick Brown Humanitarian Award by Metro Inclusive Health and Watermark's Most Remarkable Person in Central Florida.
Patti Flynn (she/her)
SENIOR CONSULTANT
Patti Flynn is an out queer trans woman, and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. Her transition has been a process that has led her from fearful reticence to come out, to being featured in Crain’s Chicago Business. Patti brings 25+ years of process improvement and change management experience in manufacturing, distribution, and sales/service operations to Equality Institute.
She is an avid endurance athlete, having finished multiple Ironman races, marathons, ultra-marathons, and her favorite race, the 6-day TransRockies Run stage race.
Erma Ishara (they/them)
FACILITATOR
Erma Ishara (they/them) is a trans non-binary artist, writer, facilitator, and community organizer. They are the creator of The FemmeBoi a trans non-binary multimedia company creating affirming, entertaining, and educational content centering the lives of BIPOC creators. Ishara’s work focuses on creating content and community spaces centering diverse queer experiences.
Ishara has facilitated gender education workshops for nationwide brands as well as consulting and coaching. They have worked with Affinity Community Services, a Chicago-based Black LGBTQ+ organization, and now currently work at a Black youth political education organization creating community spaces for BIPOC trans and queers in Chicago.
Erika Latines (she/her/ella)
FACILITATOR
Erika Latines, also known as Erika with a “K”, is a queer Latine poet, humanitarian, and activist. Her background spans from corporate finance and international business to more recently, a non-profit focused on violence prevention. She has 10 years of experience as a facilitator and trainer in areas such as equity, diversity and inclusion, queer rights, civil rights, and team building. She is the daughter of immigrants.
Erika was born and raised on the southside of Chicago, IL and lived in Mexico as an adult for 10 years. She has traveled all over the country sharing her poetry and story in English and Spanish to educate, empower and encourage youth and adults to be leaders of change.
Bernadette Smith (she/her)
CEO
Bernadette Smith is founder and CEO of Equality Institute and award-winning author of four books. Her fourth book is Inclusive 360: Proven Solutions for an Equitable Organization.
Bernadette has presented to enthusiastic audiences of CEOs, associations, entrepreneurs, leadership teams, sales professionals, account executives, marketing executives, human resource managers and more. Her expertise has been sought after by the New York Times, Forbes, the Washington Post, and Fast Company, among many others, and she’s appeared on the Today Show, the BBC, National Public Radio, and CNN.
Bernadette has been named one of Chicago’s Notable LGBTQ Executives by Crain’s Chicago Business. She loves sharing on LinkedIn and each week writes about good vibes in DEI in her newsletter, 5 Things.
Let’s get proactive about inclusion.
Diversity & Inclusion Strategists and Speakers