Newsletter: September 2022
Dear Friend,
This month, the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved the Speak Out Act, which would ban the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) that prevent survivors of sexual harassment or assault in the workplace from speaking out about their experiences. The House Judiciary Committee approved the House version of the bill in July.
(L-R: Sen. Mazie Hirono, Gretchen Carlson, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Julie Roginsky)
The legislation has broad bipartisan backing, with co-sponsors Senators Marsha Blackburn, Kirsten Gillibrand, Mazie Hirono, and Lindsey Graham joining to lead the Senate version of the bill. We were pleased to be in D.C. this month on the day the Committee voted to send the bill to the Senate floor with a favorable recommendation. The Senate and House are expected to vote on final passage of the Speak Out Act in the coming weeks.
(Sen. Blackburn with Gretchen)
In September, we were excited to participate in many impactful events to discuss Lift Our Voices’ work and progress towards safer workplaces for all survivors – work we couldn’t do without your unyielding support.
In case you missed any of our events, here’s a quick recap with links to the events that were recorded online:
September 7: The Conference Board and Lift Our Voices hosted a webinar on how NDAs are used to silence survivors. If you missed it, the recording can be found here.
September 13: We joined Women in Fund Finance in New York for a fireside chat on making the workplace safer for all. Check it out here.
September 16: We sat down with the Athena Alliance to discuss policies that hurt women in the workplace.
September 22: The UN Foundation’s #EqualEverywhere campaign aims to achieve equality for all girls and women across the globe. We spoke about Lift Our Voices’ work to protect employees from workplace abuses and harassment.
September 22: We participated in the Women Business Collaborative’s Action for Impact Annual Summit to talk about how to make the workplace safer for women and all employees. Check it out here.
September 23: We joined the International Association on Workplace Bullying and Harassment conference for a panel discussion on our work to end the use of harmful legal provisions, like NDAs and forced arbitration clauses, to silence survivors of sexual harassment in the workplace.
On Friday, September 30, we will join the Conference Board for their Women Lead Festival in New York. In a panel hosted by the Wall Street Journal’s Rachel Feintzeig, we will discuss Lift Our Voices’ work to empower survivors.
And we’re not done yet! After a great month of spreading the word about Lift Our Voices’ work to make real progress in the workplace, we will continue to take on issues that will make our workplaces safer and more equitable. We look forward to advancing the Speak Out Act in Congress and advocating for more protections for survivors after that.
As we continue to advocate for workplaces that support and respect their workers, we know that none of this would be possible without your support. Together, we can make systemic and lasting change in the workplace, because all employees deserve to work in a safe, equitable, and uplifting environment.
Thank you,
— Gretchen Carlson & Julie Roginsky | Co-founders, Lift Our Voices