Each year, June marks Pride Month for the LGBTQ+ community and our allies. This is a time for both celebration and acknowledgment of the progress we have yet to make. In recent years, there has been significant attention on the role that businesses play during Pride Month. As the CEO of one of the largest LGBTQ+ organizations in the U.S., I’ve worked with numerous companies—across all industries, sizes, and locations—looking to support our community in meaningful ways. Here are a few insights to guide how you show up for the community during Pride, and beyond:
KNOW THE DATA
Nearly 1 in 10 adults in the U.S. identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community. For Gen Z adults, that number climbs to more than one in five. As societal progress allows more and more people to openly identify as LGBTQ+, the average company’s consumer base, audiences, investors, and employees reflect that growth, too. It’s estimated that the LGBTQ+ community in the U.S. had roughly $1.4 trillion in buying power in 2021 (a figure that has surely gone up since then)—and that estimate grows to $3.9 trillion worldwide.
While the news cycle and current climate around LGBTQ+ policies may change from moment to moment, one thing remains constant: LGBTQ+ people are here to stay. Supporting the LGBTQ+ community is a long-term investment that signals how in tune you are with your audience. Whether you have been a decades-long supporter, or are considering showing up for the first time this Pride Month, your options for being a meaningful ally are limitless.
SUPPORT LGBTQ+ PEOPLE WHO WORK AT YOUR COMPANY
Pride Month is a great opportunity for business leaders to consider how they’re supporting their LGBTQ+ employees through their policies and practices. Employers should consider whether the benefits offered are inclusive of LGBTQ+ staff needs. For example, do you offer adoption and family planning support benefits? Do employer-sponsored health insurance plans cover gender-affirming care for transgender and nonbinary staff? Do you maintain an employee resource group for the LGBTQ+ community?
Benefits and resources aside, business leaders can take minor but meaningful actions to shift the day-to-day language used at their company, that may make LGBTQ+ staff feel seen. Use gender inclusive language where possible. Create opportunities to share and respect people’s pronouns.
Hiring LGBTQ+ employees can help your company incorporate diversity of thought and experience to better understand LGBTQ+ consumers. Hiring LGBTQ+ leaders can also provide possibility models for your LGBTQ+ staff who never thought it was possible to advance in their industry.
LOOK TO YOUR PEERS FOR GUIDANCE
Many companies have been supporting the LGBTQ+ community for decades; there are role models to learn from. If you’re looking for opportunities to show up this June, remember that you are not alone. Many companies have been in your exact spot, and it may be helpful to reach out to your counterparts at peer institutions to learn more about what they do during Pride Month.
As an example, The Trevor Project has partnered with MAC Cosmetics for three years to help ensure their stores’ employees and customers find welcoming, safe environments where they can show up as their full selves. Through this partnership, our experts have supported their makeup counter staff in learning and using inclusive language, and sharing powerful online stories to highlight the role that beauty and makeup can play in affirming someone’s gender identity or expression.
LEARNING IS ALSO TAKING ACTION
In nearly every state and community across the country, LGBTQ+ organizations, community centers, resources, and advocates are actively working to make life better for LGBTQ+ residents. Take some time to research what groups exist wherever you call home, and reach out to connect with them directly. The Equality Federation is a great place to start your search, as it operates a national network of more than 50 state-based LGBTQ+ organizations. To learn more about how best to support the LGBTQ+ people in your life, talk to them. Ask who and where they turn to for support, and what would be meaningful for them this Pride Month.
There is no single “right” way to be an ally during Pride Month. Allyship is a verb, so as long as you are showing up authentically, taking tangible action, and working to support the LGBTQ+ community at your company, you’re doing it right.
Jaymes Black is CEO of The Trevor Project.