Since 1970, June has marked Pride Month, a time to honor the fight for LGBTQ+ rights and to celebrate LGBTQ+ culture. While initially the focus of a very small and heavily marginalized group, Pride Month has grown over the course of its 53-year history into a widely celebrated tradition that’s not just limited to people’s private lives. Big business has also increasingly embraced Pride Month in recent years, both in public-facing communications and in employee-centered events and celebrations.
At the same time, Pride Month is seen as controversial by a sizable chunk of the American workforce. Many with more traditional values may be uncomfortable with grand displays of LGBTQ+ culture in the workplace or may feel marginalized or ostracized themselves if they choose not to participate.
How are companies working to embrace and foster inclusion among their LGBTQ+ workers without stepping into a culture-war minefield?
The Growth of Pride Month
Pride Month’s origins date back to the Stonewall Riots of 1969 in New York’s Greenwich Village in which hundreds of members of the gay community protested an aggressive police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a local gay bar, in the early morning of June 28. The following year, gay pride events were held in big cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Over 50 years later, the embrace of Pride Month continues to grow, including among major corporations.
“Each year, we see more companies acknowledge and even celebrate Pride Month in various ways,” says Quintin Simmons, PR and Communications Manager of Collage Group. For instance, he says, the NFL has teamed up with LGBTQ+ fashion designer Humberto Leon to launch its first-ever Pride capsule fashion and merchandise collection. “The assortment includes apparel, decals, rally towels and other accessories, as well as positive affirmations such as ‘Football for Everyone’ and ‘Property of Pride Department.’”
NYX Professional Makeup also decided to partake in Pride Month, Simmons adds. “Just weeks before Pride Month kicked-off, the makeup brand launched its ‘Game Out Loud’ campaign which aims to bring awareness to anti-LGBTQIA+ bullying in the online gaming world. It consisted of five LGBTQIA+ gamers and content creators who used makeup to represent their favorite games. The brand featured a series of livestreams that discussed allyship, inclusivity, and education.”
Consumers Value Pride Month
Perhaps the biggest driver of corporate Pride initiatives is organizational perceptions of consumer sentiment. In other words, Pride sells, and the purpose of a corporation is to generate profits for its shareholders. This may sound cynical, but it’s reality.
“Coinciding with Pride Month, Chief Insights Officer of Collage Group, David Evans, led efforts in publishing compelling data which found that most consumers want brands to celebrate the occasion,” Simmons notes. “Moreover, a very small minority of LGBTQ+ consumers say brands should not celebrate Pride, while almost 88% of consumers outside of the LGBTQ+ community are positive or neutral about Pride Month activations.”
Of course, corporations can and have gotten Pride horribly wrong in the eyes of at least some of their consumers. Recent Target and Bud Light campaigns come to mind.
Inclusion and Diversity
The other primary driver of corporate Pride initiatives is diversity and inclusion (D&I) efforts. LGBTQ+ individuals make up a significant minority of the general population and, correspondingly, the labor force. In this context, actively celebrating Pride Month makes sense to many businesses in a couple of different ways.
First, employees who feel like they’re accepted for who they are and belong in their workplace understandably tend to have higher morale, be more engaged at work, and remain loyal to their employer.
“Research shows that when different perspectives are supported in an environment where people feel safe and respected, innovation flourishes,” says Deb LaMere, Chief Human Resources Officer at Datasite. “Datasite operates in a highly competitive industry, and to attract and retain talent, we know we need to provide both attractive benefits and a culture that is flexible and makes employees feel connected and seen,” she notes.
One way they do that is by celebrating and recognizing inclusivity of thought, ensuring employees “feel comfortable introducing new ideas and points of view, including on social issues such as gender equity, bringing your whole self to work, mental health and volunteerism,” she says. Pride Month is one of the company’s annual events.
Additionally, employers that demonstrate a genuine commitment to D&I have a better shot at recruiting talent from diverse communities. Remember, it’s not only traditionally marginalized groups who benefit from inclusive policies; the broader organization and everyone in it benefits from a diversity of thought and experiences, as well.
Inclusion for Everyone
It’s easy for those passionate about advocating for gay rights and celebrating gay culture to roll their eyes or feel disdain toward those who may not wish to participate or may even feel uncomfortable or offended by some corporate Pride activities or statements. But it’s essential to remember that inclusion doesn’t just mean being inclusive of traditionally marginalized groups. It means being inclusive of those with more traditional views on sexuality, as well. These individuals may feel extremely uncomfortable if they feel obligated or even forced to participate in events that are counter to their closely held beliefs and values.
This doesn’t mean companies should avoid celebrating Pride Month for fear of offending some employees. But it does mean companies should be conscious of those differing views and not push people to embrace beliefs they don’t share.
It’s absolutely possible to support LGBTQ+ employees without mandatory activities. And whenever a celebration or show of support is mandatory, it loses its sincerity anyway.
“While not everyone in the organization may be supportive of Pride, when the organization’s actions are consistent with its values and respectful of different perspectives, employees who do celebrate Pride feel valued and supported,” says Juliette Mayers, founder and CEO of Inspiration Zone, LLC. “Offering different ways for people to engage that are not mandatory is important. At the same time, leaders must send clear consistent messaging that reinforce the organization’s values and promote a sense of belonging for LGBTQ employees.”
Organizations often walk a tightrope when deciding whether to embrace Pride Month and celebrate LGBTQ+ inclusion. But it’s a balance that, in today’s increasingly diverse environment, must be struck. As we’ve seen, it can be done in ways that create a safe and welcoming space for everyone.
Lin Grensing-Pophal is a Contributing Editor at HR Daily Advisor.