On June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City. The police turned violent, and patrons of the bar and other members of the gay and lesbian community protested. The demonstrations, known as the Stonewall riots, were a pivotal moment in the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights.
Now, every June, we recognize Pride Month to commemorate Stonewall, celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community and acknowledge the work that’s still left to be done.
New York’s neighbor Massachusetts has been a Pride pioneer since the early 1970s. It was the second state to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and the first state to recognize same-sex marriage.
And while Massachusetts tech companies outwardly promote Pride in June, the following organizations go beyond the month to internally celebrate and support LGBTQIA+ employees with inclusive benefits; employee resource groups; diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives; and other strides that affect meaningful change.
Here’s why that’s important: According to the Williams Insititue at the UCLA School of Law, 26 percent of LGBTQIA+ employees are not out in the workplace, and 40 percent change how they present themselves at work out of fear of discrimination or harassment. More than a third of LGBTQIA+ employees have resigned because of discriminatory treatment or an unwelcoming work environment.
Research shows unwelcoming work environments can lead to poor health and low job satisfaction. But when employees feel company culture allows them to be their authentic selves, they are more engaged and happier, and those companies see better performance and innovation.
Built In Boston sat down with MassMutual, Uplight Software and Cohere Health to learn how they’re shaping company culture to encourage authenticity and inclusivity.
MassMutual is a mutual life insurance company that provides investment management and trust services.
How is MassMutual celebrating or recognizing Pride throughout the month of June?
This is the fifth consecutive year that MassMutual is raising the Pride flag on the front of its headquarters in Springfield, Massachusetts. MassMutual and its Pride business resource group will continue to build on the theme of inclusion and progression by raising the Progress flag, designed by graphic designer Daniel Quasar. In addition to the brown and black stripes — championed by civil rights activist Amber Hikes and first added in Philadelphia in 2017 to raise awareness of the need to acknowledge and dismantle racism within the LGBTQIA+ community — the Progress Pride flag incorporates pink, light blue and white, the colors of the Transgender Pride flag. The chevron formation is also included in the design to suggest forward movement and acknowledge there is still progress to be made, especially for those represented in its colors.
Additionally, MassMutual is a proud sponsor of the first Pride parade in Springfield in June. In addition to this being a historic moment for the city of Springfield and MassMutual, it is also anticipated to be the first large public gathering of MassMutual employees in the city since before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Beyond the month of June, what are some examples of ways MassMutual supports or advocates for the LGBTQIA+ community?
MassMutual has a long history of supporting the LGBTQIA+ community dating back to the company’s public fight and substantial financial support against the AIDS epidemic more than three decades ago. For many years, MassMutual has voiced public opposition to state and local legislation that discriminates against and harms lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. Our actions on a national level include signing the Business Statement on Transgender Equality in opposition to discriminatory actions by states and joining the Business Coalition for the Equality Act, which would, for the first time, ensure federal protection against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Additionally, MassMutual is a corporate partner of the National LGBTQIA+ Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Massachusetts LGBTQIA+ Chamber of Commerce and recently supported the Chamber’s expansion into Western Massachusetts at the end of last year.
Showing up is exactly what the company has done for more than a decade.”
How does MassMutual support and empower the LGBTQIA+ members of your team?
Since its inception as MassMutual’s first business resource group in 2008, the Pride BRG has informed company leadership on when and how to show up internally and externally on matters of importance to members of the LGBTQIA+ community and their allies.
Showing up is exactly what the company has done for more than a decade. This includes use of and education around the importance of identifying pronouns; the addition of all-gender restrooms for employees and guests; and offering benefits to employees and their loved ones that enable them to live their best lives.
Since 2014, MassMutual’s employee benefits have covered medically necessary services related to gender affirmation surgery. At the start of 2019, in addition to enhanced internal support, existing benefits began to include previously non-covered procedures such as facial feminization surgery, thyroid chondroplasty, electrolysis and more. The company’s suite of employee benefits also includes caregiving; family planning and fertility, including adoption and surrogacy; paid parental leave for mothers, fathers and adoptive parents, and more.
Uplight provides end-to-end technology solutions to connect energy providers and their customers.
How is Uplight Software celebrating or recognizing Pride throughout the month of June?
We are thrilled to recognize Pride throughout the month across our dispersed workforce. Uplighters are very excited to be participating in the Denver Pride Parade this year, led by our incredible employee resource group PRISM: Pride, Raising Awareness, Involvement, Support, and Mentorship. I am especially excited to invite our entire Uplight organization and their loved ones to join us on event day to march as #OneTeam and shine light on our LGBTQ+ members and allies!
Additionally, we are hosting in-office gatherings with decorations, rainbow cupcakes and light snacks at our offices in Boulder, Colorado and in Boston. We will offer a virtual gathering for our remote team members with a Pride trivia happy hour to promote education, connection and good fun.
We are creating spaces where members of LGBTQ+ identity, their allies and the broader Uplight community can connect in other meaningful ways. We’re hosting dedicated sessions for our PRISM and Organized Marginalized Genders (OMG) employee resource group members with a focus on the intersection of marginalized gender experiences, imposter syndrome, psychological safety and socializing actions we are committing to doing to improve our company culture. We are also creating a resource list where employees can find organizations that positively impact LGBTQ+ persons, more specifically transgender youth, to network with, volunteer at and donate to.
Beyond the month of June, what are some examples of ways Uplight supports or advocates for the LGBTQIA+ community?
At Uplight, we are committed to fostering a diverse workforce of happier and healthier employees where inclusion, respect and belonging are foundational to our mission in creating a sustainable future. Throughout the year we partner with our people team in developing a pragmatic diversity, equity and inclusion strategy and host events to promote awareness and education for our leaders, managers and team members. We have various ERGs that offer a unique, employee-driven way to add incredible value to our company culture and employee engagement.
The PRISM Alliance promotes an inclusive community for LGBTQ+ employees and allies. PRISM provides educational, support, social and networking opportunities for LGBTQ+ identifying employees and allies within the Uplight community. We partner with fellow ERG team members on OMG, which offers support and community to employees who identify as a marginalized gender. This ERG actively works to ensure its group is inclusive and welcoming to all marginalized genders and offers support, builds community and advocates for organizational transformation.
We work closely with our PRISM executive sponsor, Chief Operating Officer Angela Tucci, who champions our mission by serving as an advocate, provides strategic advice to align our goals and boosts outreach to build support for the activities we put together.
Diversity, inclusivity, equity and belongingness requires continuous learning from all of us.”
How does Uplight support and empower the LGBTQIA+ members of your team?
This year we are excited to connect our PRISM group with our executive leadership team in a facilitated conversation to discuss important topics such as manager and colleague support of our experiences, ask questions and share how they can be allies with our ERG mission and goals. Engaging with our executive leaders is an important way to build community, trust and advocate for changes in our systems and processes so that together we can enhance inclusion, equality and belonging at Uplight.
Additionally, our ERGs continue to create safe spaces for folks where they can find community and work together to maintain a focus on the LGTBQ+ and gender-based work experience at Uplight. To promote psychological safety in our discussions, we kindly ask that cis men act as listeners as we ask tough questions while keeping our community’s best interest in mind. Uplight understands that diversity, inclusivity, equity and belongingness requires continuous learning from all of us.
Cohere Health is a SaaS company focused on improving the experience of patients and doctors on health rather than on payment hassles.
How is Cohere celebrating Pride throughout the month of June?
Cohere is celebrating Pride with many different events and activities hosted by the CoQueer employee resource group, the people operations team, and the diversity, equity and inclusion team. We’ll host drag queen bingo, Pride spirit days, and a series of Pride educational movies, including films about the Stonewall Riots and Marsha P. Johnson. Pride celebrations will culminate with a Zoom concert led by drag queen Barbra Joan Streetsand, who will talk about her Pride experiences and perform music from P!nk, Cher and Barbra Streisand.
The goals of the event were to prioritize LGBTQ+ voices and learn more about LGBTQ+ health.’’
How does Cohere support and empower the LGBTQIA+ members of your team?
Cohere’s CoQueer ERG, people operations and DEI teams host regular discussions and various learning sessions throughout the year. For example, we hosted a moderated conversation focused on LGBTQ+ health with A.G. Breitenstein, CEO of Folx Health. The goals of the event were to prioritize LGBTQ+ voices and learn more about LGBTQ+ health. Cohere also invited Dr. Hannah Wenger, a primary care physician involved in Massachusetts General Hospital’s Transgender Health Program, to share her expertise about medical needs of transgender people and the ways that prior authorization interacts with those needs.
