“The revolution will not be televised.”
This Pride month, the much-quoted refrain from Gil-Scott Heron’s 1971 anthem reminds us that true activism is not self-seeking.
In a world where profit might masquerade as support, savvy consumers dig deeper, scrutinizing how businesses back the LGBTQIA+ community behind the scenes. This vigilance shapes their spending and offers job seekers a clear view of which employers are genuinely committed to equality and inclusion.
Built In found that U.S. employees are four times more likely to work for a company that publicly supports and commits to expanding and protecting LGBTQIA+ rights year round.
One such company is Movable Ink, which drives change by supporting queer-owned and nonprofit organizations in its employees’ local communities across the globe, including Transgender Europe, The PFund Foundation, Casa Rara, TransVida, AIDS Walks and Point of Pride.
Of course, Movable Ink isn’t the only company setting the standard for active allyship; the birthplace of the modern LGBTQIA+ rights movement is full of progressive companies leading the way.
Built In New York spoke with Movable Ink, Tapestry, Inc., Order.co and Fluent to learn how they support the community — even when nobody’s watching.
Movable Ink helps digital marketing leaders create visual experiences that move consumers.
HOW MOVABLE INK IS CELEBRATING PRIDE MONTH
- The London office plans to host a “Cupcake Convo Corner,” providing a platform for employees to discuss queer culture over cupcakes.
- The NYC and San Francisco offices are participating in the Aids Walk 2024, successfully reaching their fundraising goal to support the Gay Men’s Health Crisis.
- The company is hosting a Virtual Salsa dance class with In Lak'ech Dance Academy, offering LGBTQ2S+ individuals a safer space to participate in Afro Latin dance.
- A co-hosted Inklusive Pride Mixer with Out in Tech will take place at White Horse Bar, the nation's oldest operating gay bar.
How does your company empower the LGBTQIA+ members of your team?
Movable Ink supports and empowers Inkers in three main ways: cultivating the LGBTQIA+ community, providing access to comprehensive benefits and implementing inclusive employee policies.
Our Inklusive ERG connects LGBTQIA+ employees and allies internally through entertaining and educational events and philanthropic giving to organizations across the company’s global regions. Our employee benefits include access to gender-affirming care, inclusive parental and fertility benefits and the option to include domestic partners or spouses on insurance.
In addition to our existing company non-discrimination policy, our internal people and IT teams have created inclusive name change and display name policies. While these policies ultimately support all Inkers in showing up authentically at work, they grew out of an initiative to ensure that trans, nonbinary and gender-expansive Inkers felt empowered to use their preferred name and pronouns, with or without updates to their legal name and identification documents.
How does Movable Ink support the LGBTQIA+ community beyond the month of June?
Even though it might sometimes feel like it, none of us live inside Zoom, but within our own unique communities. Movable Ink is a proud “Qorporate” sponsor of Out In Tech, the world’s largest non-profit community of LGBTQ+ tech leaders, and the company has donated corporate dollars to community-serving non-profit organizations.
Tapestry, Inc. is a luxury fashion holding company that designs and markets luxury accessories and lifestyle brands.
At Tapestry, we celebrate Pride Month year round. During June, we honor the LGBTQIA+ community and stand as allies, fostering understanding and embracing acceptance.
We take pride in our annual initiatives showcasing the importance and rich history of Pride Month. Rooted in a movement to eradicate discrimination, our programming is a testament to the resilience and ongoing strides made for equality and acceptance within the LGBTQIA+ community.
HOW TAPESTRY, INC. IS CELEBRATING PRIDE MONTH
- Tapestry will kick off the month with a global happy hour hosted by Prouder Together, the LGBTQIA+ EBRG, where employees from NYC to Tokyo, London and Los Angeles will join in the celebration.
- Prouder Together will distribute vibrant Zoom backgrounds to all employees to enhance the spirit of Pride Month in virtual spaces.
- The company will solemnly commemorate the eighth anniversary of the Pulse Tragedy on June 12.
- June 28 will be dedicated to honoring the origins of Pride Month with recognition of the Stonewall Riots.
- Over 100 Tapestry employees will participate in the NYC Pride parade on June 30.
How does your company empower the LGBTQIA+ members of your team?
Tapestry aims to foster a culture in which everyone can thrive and be their best selves. Here, our diversity of ideas, perspectives and backgrounds truly enhances our workplace environment, leading to greater creativity and innovation.
We support and empower our LGBTQIA+ colleagues by building an inclusive community across all brands; encouraging, supporting and mentoring others at work; connecting our identity with brand products that speak to us; and supporting our local communities through volunteering and investment. Through our valued partnership with the Hetrick-Martin Institute, we host Pride365 to provide our employees with monthly opportunities to volunteer, serve and share family dinners with the community.
Prouder Together was founded in 2020 and has nearly 500 members including allies. Like all our EBRGs, Prouder Together has an executive sponsor and is spearheaded by a team of co-leads and pillars that mirror our equity, inclusion and diversity strategic pillars: talent, culture, community and marketplace. The EBRG team organizes events and learning initiatives and keeps members and Tapestry informed about news that impacts our community.
How does Tapestry, Inc. support the LGBTQIA+ community beyond the month of June?
Our commitment to supporting and advocating for the LGBTQIA+ is focused on creating meaningful connections, celebrating diversity and embracing inclusion, and we aim to emphasize the importance of mental health advocacy for our employees and the community.
In May, Prouder Together hosted a Mental Health Action Day panel, welcoming guests from The Trevor Project and the HMI focused on supporting the mental health of transgender youth and allyship. We collaborate with GLSEN, an education-focused organization that supports gay student alliances in schools. We are participating in the Rainbow Library Project, which provides free LGBTQIA+ affirming books and materials to schools nationwide to enrich curricula and foster inclusivity.
Coach has partnered with the HMI, to support the College Access and Persistence program for LGBTQIA+ youth. They also support CenterLink to provide resources to rural youth that lack access to safe spaces, LGBTQIA+ community centers or digital resources. Kate Spade New York (ksny) partnered with the Trevor Project to help end suicide among LGBTQIA+ youth and help fund their community outreach programs and essential 24/7 crisis services.
Order.co makes it easy for businesses to automatically place and manage every order in one centralized location.
What activities is Order.co coordinating for Pride Month?
Order.co is thrilled to participate in our first-ever NYC Pride Parade this year on June 30. Several of our customers are local organizations we hope to join forces with for the occasion.
We’re always looking for more opportunities to get involved with and give back to our community. While our Pride ERG is still new, we have already begun exploring potential volunteer opportunities, virtual events and in-person social gatherings during Pride Month and beyond.
How does your company empower the LGBTQIA+ members of your team?
By actively working with the Pride ERG to deliver engaging, inclusive and informative events and services, and offering benefits that support people from all walks of life, like parental leave for both birthing and non-birthing parents, inclusive wellness packages and mental health support through Talkspace and Gympass.
“Order.co offers benefits that support people from all walks of life, like parental leave for both birthing and non-birthing parents, inclusive wellness packages and mental health support.”
Team members are also encouraged to pitch initiatives they are passionate about and even start their own ERGs.
Fluent introduces brands to consumers through outcome-based programs across channels.
We’re proud to have a remarkable team with diverse backgrounds and experiences. There is a great deal of intersectionality, especially within the LGBTQIA+ community. While we celebrate this diversity year-round, Pride Month serves as a special reminder to embrace individuality and ensure all colleagues feel they can be and bring their authentic selves to work each day.
HOW FLUENT IS CELEBRATING PRIDE MONTH
- Fluent partners with Percent Pledge for a virtual volunteer event in June, enabling global employee participation.
- The partnership supports a portfolio of LGBTQIA+ organizations, with employees given the option to donate to the “Pride Portfolio” or specific causes, while Fluent generously matches 100 percent of every contribution to amplify the impact.
- In New York City, Fluent hosts a company-funded local Pride event, organized by Marketing Events Manager Jonathan Urbina, to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community.
How does your company empower the LGBTQIA+ members of your team?
Our dedicated DEI team tackles internal and external issues, curates programming and training and meets monthly to ensure continual progress in building an inclusive workplace. We also encourage open dialogue in our “#leanintochange” Slack channel, a safe space for discussions about current events impacting underrepresented communities.
In addition to these internal initiatives, we actively engage diverse voices from external organizations to foster a rich learning environment. In partnership with She Geeks Out, we offer training programs covering the fundamentals of DEI, unconscious bias, intersectionality, invisible disabilities and more.
Finally, Fluent recognizes the importance of accessible healthcare for all and provides access to a broad network of primary care and mental health professionals trained to serve the LGBTQIA+ community. To support growing families, we also offer 12 weeks of paid parental leave to celebrate a child’s birth or adoption. Birth mothers are provided maternity leave in addition to parental leave.
