FOUNDING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SELISSE BERRY CONFIRMED AS KEYNOTE SPEAKER

The 2nd International Expo& Business LGBT event being hosted by LGBT Confex hasannounced its latest partner - the leading North American workplace equality advocacy organization, Out & Equal
Workplace Advocates.

"We are working very hard to bring LGBT issues to the consciousness of more organizations in our region," Sandoval said. "To dothis we are taking a holistic approach - and we focus on LGBT people's lives as workers, as consumers and as members of their families. The leadership role that Out & Equal has taken in the area of workplace equality is inspiring. We are pleased to welcome the Founding Executive Director of Out & Equal, Selisse Berry, to present a special keynote addressduring the Gala Dinner at the new Hard Rock Hotel Cancun."

"Out & Equal is pleased to be participating in thisevent," Berry said. "Our work started in the United States and has expanded globally in recent years. We recently hosted the Out & Equal LGBT Global Workplace Summit in London withconstituents from 28 countries.

LGBT employees everywhere face complex and diverse issues that relate to their sexual orientation and gender identity. Something as basicas an invitation to a work function takes on a whole different hue if a person is not out about their sexual orientation with everyone they work with. This can cause real issues, and we see workplace equality as an area where there is still much to be done in Mexico, and across Latin America.

Participating in this event is an important step for us, and we are looking forward to sharing our experience with the delegates attendingthe conference."

For 13 years, Out & Equal has been at the forefrontof recognizing the workplace rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and working with corporations to bring about real improvements in the workplace as aresult.

LGBT Confex is Latin America's leading organizer ofLGBT conferences and events, and CEO Ruben Sandoval said he was delighted to announce Out & Equal's participation in the 2nd International Expo & Business LGBT event being put on by his company in Cancun, Mexico on September 6 - 9.

New research being released at the conference showsthat real issues surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity and characteristicsin the workplace exist in all countries in Latin America, including Mexico.

The LGBT2020 Study is a global research project devised and implemented by Out Now Global - the world's leading specialist LGBT consulting agency. Since 2009, the project has been collecting data from countries around the world, to compare LGBT people's lives; asking the same set of questions in more than a dozen languages. Almost 100,000 people have now participated in more than 20 countries.
According to Darren Cooper, Senior Consultant at Out Now, many LGBT people currently experience harassment and discrimination, includingin the workplace, in Mexico and across the Latin American region.

Full LGBT2020 data results for Mexico and other keyLatin American markets, including Argentina and Brazil, are to be released by Out Nowat the 2nd International Expo& Business LGBT to be held in Cancun, Mexico.

"There are millions of LGBT people living in Latin America, and most of them have experienced harassment or other difficulties related to their sexual orientation in some form or other during this year," Cooper said. "For example our latest research shows that only 26% of people in Mexico feel comfortable coming out to everyone they know at work. To conceal such an important aspect of oneself from work colleagues wastes a large amount of time and effort, and tends to risk marginalizing LGBT people to the detriment of workplace teams. It is far better when workplaces offer respect and acceptance for
LGBT colleagues so that all workers can be themselves and function to their maximum effectiveness as a team."

The 2nd International Expo & Business LGBT is beingheld at the Convention Center of Hard Rock Hotel Cancun, September 6-9, 2012. The Gala Dinner is being held at the Hard Rock Hotel Cancun on September 8, 2012. Hyatt HotelCancun is another official Partner Hotel for the Expo & Business LGBT, an event which is created and managed by LGBT Confex, Latin America's leading LGBT conference and Exhibitions Company.