Celebrating LGBTQ+ identities this Pride month

Each new Pride month brings with it an opportunity to celebrate the vibrancy of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as reflect on the progress that has been made toward equality  — and the work still to be done. This month and every month, we aim to bring awareness and acceptance to all identities, including the most vulnerable and heavily-stigmatized populations, to create an inclusive and equitable society for all.

Awareness, education, and engagement

We’re committed to affirming LGBTQ+ identities and understand the power of visibility. We celebrated the rich diversity of this community through global displays and activations across our offices, taking inspiration from the recently updated Intersex-inclusive Progress Pride flag.

The undulating style symbolizes the graceful fluidity of identity itself. The Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride flag features a purple circle over a yellow triangle to represent the Intersex community, who continue to be subjected to non-consensual surgeries that enforce a rigid gender binary.  The flag also includes light blue, pink and white stripes representing the trans and non-binary communities, as well as black and brown stripes in solidarity with Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) members of the community, who often face the added burden of racism or xenophobia in addition to homophobia and/or transphobia.

At Bloomberg’s Princeton campus, employees gathered to paint the sidewalks in the colors of the Progress Pride flag. In Hong Kong, we took to the streets and branded an iconic tram with the colors of the Pride flag to share the importance of inclusivity and allyship with the community.

Continuing the conversation

Building on our commitment to foster an LGBTQ+ inclusive workplace, the Bloomberg LGBTQ+ and Ally Community (BPROUD),  in partnership with our Global D&I Team, led an extensive agenda of events and initiatives this Pride month to help us understand each other’s lived experiences, encourage openness to varying viewpoints and advocate for allyship.

In London, employees had the opportunity to hear from Lady Phyll, Co-Founder of UK Black Pride, Europe’s largest celebration for LGBTQ+ people of African, Asian, Caribbean, Middle Eastern and Latin American descent,  in a fireside chat with Manisha Mehrotra, Bloomberg’s Head of D&I, EMEA. This networking event created a safe space for both clients and employees to participate in a conversation around sexuality, gender identities, gender expression and cultures.

You can watch the replay to our Lady Phyll event here.

In the U.S., Fatima Shama, Bloomberg’s Head of D&I, Americas, led a discussion with New York State Senator, Brad Hoylman; New Pride Agenda Executive Director, Elisa Crespo; and Hetrick-Martin Institute Chief Executive Officer, Joe B. Pressley, about the progress — and regressions — in LGBTQ+ rights over the past seven years.

In APAC, we hosted a conversation for our employees with Odile Thiang, Lead Clinical Advisor, Mind HK, and Leow Yangfa, Executive Director of Oogachaga in Singapore, about the mental health challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community, in an attempt to destigmatize mental health, break down cultural barriers and encourage active allyship from our employees.

Commitment to the wider community

Our action and commitment also extend to our wider community. Throughout the month, Bloomberg employees participated in globally curated opportunities to volunteer with LGBTQ+ causes, and to access arts and cultural partners’ celebrations of Pride. In our offices, Bloomberg employees across the US wrote notes of hope for public school students with Hope in a Box, a nonprofit partner that uses literature to help LGBTQ+ students feel safe, welcome and included at school, by providing boxes of curated books at the request of teachers and schools in addition to curriculum and community support. Hope in a Box currently supports more than nearly 500 schools in all 50 states, reaching over 70,000 students. In addition to the messages of hope which will be sent along with the books, Bloomberg will provide 50 book boxes for Title 1 and rural schools in Texas, Florida, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and more.

Making an impact beyond Pride month

Ultimately, Pride extends far beyond June, and the need for LGBTQ+ equity requires year-long proactive action that spans education, training, progressive workplace policies and ongoing advocacy. All of our employees have the right to be their authentic selves at work, and we recognize that we all have a role to play in making that possible. Read more about our commitment to building a LGBTQ+ inclusive workplace.

Bloomberg is consistently ranked as one of the best places to work for LGBTQ+ equality. Find out more via our inclusion website, or explore our Careers website for more information on our open roles.