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Photo courtesy ProjectQAtlanta.com
CHIP NEWTON
As co-chair of the leadership council of LGBT workplace advocacy group Out & Equal Atlanta, Chip Newton’s forecast for our future is clear: workplace equality for all.
How would you define your role in Atlanta’s LGBT community?
Atlanta’s workplace equality superhero. My role is to help Atlanta’s LGBT professionals network, learn and grow to meet that next business or workplace connection, develop themselves professionally and grow into that person they aspire to be.
What do you forecast for Atlanta’s LGBT community in the next 5 to 10 years?
I forecast a professional environment where employees bring 100% of themselves to work, increase awareness of LGBT issues with Atlanta’s Fortune 500 companies and workplace equality for all.
We learn from all our experiences, both good and bad. Tell us about a negative life experience you’ve had that you learned a valuable lesson from.
I’m a person who wants to learn from all of my experiences and those I encounter, so this question is something I think about often. My negative experience was in a previous worklife by working for an organization that didn’t really value me and ultimately “had a reduction” even though I was the top performer for three years in a row. It was only after I divulged my sexual orientation that I was perceived as “non-performing” and “non-essential” personnel. I realized then I was the only person who could make this right for me and make a difference in my community. Working with Deloitte has been a huge breath of fresh air and confirms my feeling that good talent have options with America’s top organizations. Everyone should have this experience.
How has being LGBT shaped your outlook on life?
I know this may seem a little corny but I’m much more sensitive. I’m sensitive to the rest of the letters (lesbian bisexual and transgender) and I love that. We are one big “invisible” minority. We should align ourselves and embrace our differences.
Tell us a little more about yourself. What are your hobbies? What are your goals?
I love to ride bikes, I love the mountains, riding horses and spending time with the myriad of nutzo people I call my friends.
If you were stranded on a desert island, what’s the one book you would want with you?
War and Peace. Settle in…it’ll be a long rescue!
