Known as ‘The Mother of Pride,’ Brenda organized Gay Pride Week and the Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade a year after the Stonewall Riots. Pride Month is largely credited as being started by bisexual activist Brenda Howard. The message was clear - protestors demanded the establishment of places where LGBT+ people could go and be open about their sexual orientation without fear of arrest. Johnson, leading the movement to continue over six days with protests and clashes. Among the many leaders of the riots was a black, trans, bisexual woman, Marsha P. "There are other months in the year that people can show up.On a hot summer’s night in New York on June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in Greenwich Village, which resulted in bar patrons, staff, and neighborhood residents rioting onto Christopher Street outside. She stresses that to truly support LGBTQ+ workers, organizations should stand up for LGBTQ rights inside and outside of the office 365 days a year. "There have been many opportunities for major corporations to say, 'Hey, this is how we feel and we can affect a lot of things that happen in your state financially if you're not affirming of trans people and if you don't stop the unjust treatment and cruelty that you're imposing, especially on trans youth,' instead of using us as marketing strategies throughout the month of June." "There's been so many opportunities over just the last couple of months for major corporations to actually take a stand against the ' Slate of Hate' that is happening all over the South, when it relates to anti-trans legislation," she says. Kayla Gore is the executive director of My Sistah's House, a Memphis-based organization founded to help bridge a gap in services for trans and queer people of color with an emphasis on housing. She says that often the issue of corporate participation in Pride Month boils down to standing up for LGBTQ workers outside of the office and "not trying to just capitalize off of people's lived experiences of being proud".
"Where the problem comes in, is if a company is just changing its logos, or even making some sort of public statement that says 'I stand in solidarity with this group,' but is not taking the appropriate action inside their walls to support it." "Changing logos in solidarity with the community has some benefits to some members in the community because it can show that the entity is standing with them," says Dobroski, noting that Glassdoor has also changed its logo for the month. "While many companies will turn their logos and social profiles to rainbows for Pride Month, creating a more equitable company is more than just symbolic or superficial moves. Part of this dissatisfaction, Dobroski posits, may also stem from how some companies superficially participate in Pride Month, without engaging in the celebration's radical political legacy - a phenomenon often referred to as " rainbow washing." The majority of those polled, 54% of managers and 52% of employees, say that their company should offer educational opportunities and bias training.īeyond harassment and discrimination, many LGBTQ workers also report being unsatisfied with how they feel their organization supports - or rather, does not support - the LGBTQ community. A significant 31% of out respondents say they have faced blatant discrimination and microaggressions in the workplace.
However, at-will employment still gives employers opportunities to fire employees for nearly any other reason they wish to give except for race, religion, sex or national origin.Īnd research suggests that LGBTQ workers often still face discrimination at work.Īccording to a recent survey of LGBTQ professionals by LinkedIn, 25% of out respondents say they have been intentionally denied career advancement opportunities (such as promotions and raises) because of their identity. workers cannot be fired for being homosexual or transgender. It wasn't until last Pride month, June 2020, that the Supreme Court ruled that that U.S.