UPDATED BY
Jessica Powers | Mar 14, 2024

While tremendous strides have been made in the past few decades, there is still sadly a long way to go when it comes to achieving equality and liberation for the LGBTQ+ community. 

Despite the Bostock v. Clayton County Supreme Court ruling of 2021 — which confirmed that the prohibition against sex discrimination in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) also includes employment discrimination against an individual on the basis of sexual orientation or transgender status — many members of the LGBTQ+ community still face discrimination in the workplace. According to a survey from the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, one in 10 LGBTQ workers face discrimination, with LGBTQ employees of color being more likely to experience verbal harrasment and job rejection. 

The tech industry is generally considered to be progressive, but even in tech hubs like Silicon Valley, many people fall through the cracks due to lack of resources, poor protections, and often, ignorance.

Companies That Support The LGBTQ+ Community

  • Addepar
  • IBM
  • PayPal
  • Getty Images
  • Skillshare
  • Kazoo
  • QuestionPro
  • QuickBase
  • Workhuman
  • Sprout Social

When it comes to creating an inclusive workplace, there can be no half measures. Many companies have come under fire for perpetuating “pinkwashing,” a term used to describe when companies utilize Pride aesthetics for marketing purposes rather than making tangible commitments toward pursuing LGBTQ+ equality. In worst case scenarios, companies without true commitments to empowering those communities may adopt rainbow flag imagery during Pride Month, all while channeling funds toward political or economic organizations that pose a direct threat to LGBTQ+ people.

On the bright side, there are also many companies in the tech industry who walk the walk when it comes to securing justice for all. Rather than speaking up about LGBTQ+ issues only when it is advantageous to them, these companies have taken real steps to ensure that people of all sexualities and gender expressions are celebrated and empowered all year round.

If Silicon Valley companies take the right steps toward achieving equality for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, they can set an example for the rest of the world to follow suit.

These tech companies support the LGBTQ+ community consistently, taking concrete steps to fight for justice and equality well beyond Pride Month.

 

Companies That Support LGBTQ+ Employees

Location: New York, New York

Zeta Global offers a cloud-based software platform designed to enhance marketing operations for brands, media agencies and digital publishers. The international company’s diversity, equity and inclusion commitment is evident through multiple employee resource groups, including one known as Zeta Pride that’s meant to serve as a safe, affirming community for LGBTQIA+ employees and allies.

 

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

Liberty Mutual is a long-established presence in the insurance industry, offering all varieties of common and niche insurance products, from homeowners and workers’ compensation policies to aviation and crisis management policies. The company is a proud and outspoken advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, sponsoring Pride parades in the cities where it holds offices and maintaining the Pride@Liberty employee resource group.  

 

Location: Bagsværd, Denmark

Novo Nordisk conducts clinical trials across the globe in pursuit of innovative medical treatments meant to have a positive impact on the lives of people who have serious chronic illnesses. The pharmaceutical company says it proactively works to make diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging a priority at every level of the organization. For example, Novo Nordisk’s list of employee resource groups includes Novo Equal, which was established to support LBTQIA+ employees and their allies. The company’s efforts to promote disease awareness and access to healthcare resources among traditionally underserved populations has also included the LGBTQIA+ community.

 

Location: New York, New York

Braze offers a customer engagement platform with capabilities for boosting brands’ marketing efforts so they’re able to better engage their audience. As part of the company’s “inclusion-first approach to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,” Braze has taken several steps to foster a supportive work environment for LGBTQIA+ team members, and its efforts have been recognized with the Equality 100 Award from the Human Rights Campaign. Initiatives implemented by Braze include giving employees comprehensive and inclusive healthcare coverage as well as creating the Pride @ Braze employee resource group.

 

Location: Fully Remote

The Predictive Index is an HR tech platform that aims to help companies optimize their talent through a suite of products including validated hiring assessments and pulse surveys. The company says DEI efforts are core to The Predictive Index’s mission. It works to support and serve its LGBTQ+ workforce through ERGs like Queer@PI, while also prioritizing an inclusive work environment.

 

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

Toast has several employee resource groups, including Multigrain, which is “a community for LGBTQIA+ Toasters and allies.” The company created its Council of Advocates for Equity, known as CAFE, to bring together various employee identities and perspectives to promote business practices that prioritize diversity and inclusion for both Toast’s workforce and customers. Toast offers inclusive employee benefits such as access to trans-affirming health care and family-forming programs. Among the many awards Toast has received for its workplace culture is recognition of its LGBTQIA+ advocacy. 

 

Location: Seattle, Washington

Trupanion has committed to establishing at least eight employee resource groups, and its first was TruPride, a group made up of LGBTQIA+ employees and allies. TruPride meets each month to discuss various relevant topics and initiatives. The group also hosts events like happy hours and game nights. Trupanion has also been an active participant in Seattle’s yearly Pride parade. The company says it seeks “to offer an inclusive work environment where everyone feels valued and has the ability to contribute to our collective success.”

 

Location: Mountain View, California

In addition to helping LGBTQIA+ employees feel supported year round with a variety of training programs and crucial resources, Addepar also formed its AddePride affinity group, which is run by LGBTQIA+ community members and allies and aims to foster an accepting environment at Addepar and in interactions with clients. The AddePride team also works hard to support the LGBTQIA+ community outside of Addepar, raising money  for AIDS Walk NYC as well as funds for the Marsha P. Johnson Institute,  in partnership with the company’s BOLD affinity group.

 

Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Having received 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign on its Corporate Equality Index every year since 2006, The Coca-Cola Company is a long-term supporter of the LGBTQ community. The company’s support has ranged from offering transgender-inclusive health insurance coverage and working in multiple states to fight against anti-LGBTQ Religious Freedom Restoration Act legislation.

 

Location: New York, New York

Harry’s, which specializes in razor blades and grooming products, ensures that the benefits it offers can be extended to all employees and their families, regardless of gender or sexual identity, including parental leave for employees of all genders and walks to parenthood, medical insurance that includes coverage for gender-affirming care and benefits that can be extended to employees’ spouses and domestic partners of any gender. Additionally, Harry’s worked with its office building and neighboring tenants to change its floor’s restrooms to all-gender use in 2019. 

 

Location: Seattle, Washington

Getty Images consistently seeks new opportunities to improve how historically underrepresented communities are visually represented on a global scale and  launched a formal partnership with GLAAD and Ceros to develop a series of guidelines that will help photographers, customers and team members better understand the nuances of identity throughout the broader LGBTQIA+ community. The company’s internal D&I team hosts globally reaching monthly open sessions that help its employees share topical resources, build relationships and create regional best practices while also enhancing their knowledge, skills and awareness of D&I related issues

 

Location: Armonk, New York

IBM has a history of fighting for LGBTQ rights. For example, it added sexual orientation to its non-discrimination policy in 1984, began providing Domestic Partner Benefits in 1996 and added “gender identity or expression” to its Equal Opportunity Policy in 2002. The company also has a business development team that partners with IBM to retain and support diverse talent and implement LGBTQ-inclusive benefits. The company also offers an LGBTQ+ Council that is working to end HIV discrimination in the workplace. 

 

Location: Fully Remote

Skillshare’s LGBTQIA+ employee resource group was the company’s first established ERG and is designed to highlight the intersectionality of identity, doing so by partnering with other ERGs and allies throughout the organization to celebrate individuality and discuss plans for institutional change, initiatives and feedback. The ERG is also paired with an executive sponsor who acts as both a mentor and an advocate for the larger Skillshare LGBTQIA+ community.

 

Location: San Jose, California

PayPal offers benefits that support LGBTQ employees, including surrogacy and adoption assistance as well as an extensive benefits package catered specifically to transgender employees. The company also strives to support employee’s mental health through free access to the Calm app.

 

Location: Austin, Texas

On a benefits level, A Cloud Guru, which was acquired by Plurasight, offers parental leave for parents of any gender. Its parental leave is provided whether there is a birth or an adoption. Full parental leave consists  of 16 weeks plus six weeks of flex return and partial parental leave consists of six weeks plus four weeks of flex return. The company’s employees also self-organized to form an LGBTQIA+ resource group called A Proud Guru, where employees and allies join forces to raise money and educate each other on community wins on a global scale while also celebrating each other’s uniquenesses.

Further ReadingHow To Celebrate Your LGBTQ+ Employees Every Day

 

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts

In an effort to help their industry peers step up their diversity and inclusion efforts, Quickbase’s team put together a comprehensive guide for how technology can be implemented to undo bias and make workplaces more accepting. Some of the technologies they compiled cover a range of capabilities, from compensation inequality identification to demographics analysis for job applicants.

 

Location: Farmington, Massachusetts

Workhuman maintains a strong focus on diversity and inclusion efforts for their LGBTQ+ employees and community. The company publishes a number of insights and updates on how their team leaders are working to undo unconscious bias by attending conferences, holding space for people to share their experiences, and instituting concrete policies that protect their more vulnerable employees.

 

Location: Austin, Texas 

Oracle supports LGBTQ employees by offering an ERG called “Oracle Pride Employee Network''. Through the ERG employees are able to participate in networking events, online groups, and organize company events that raise awareness of issues in the LGBTQ community. The company also consistently highlights LGBTQ content from its employees and shares insights from its leadership.

 

Location: Fully Remote

During Pride Month, Drift’s leadership team celebrates by highlighting the ways LGBTQ+ trailblazers have impacted the world of sales and marketing, as well as honoring the ways past leaders like Marsha P. Johnson paved the way for LGBTQ+ rights. The company also offers leave for primary and secondary caregivers.

 

Location: Somerville, Massachusetts

Throughout the month of June, Smartbear released a series of blog posts centered on their LGBTQ+ leaders and team members, conducting interviews about what Pride means to them, and what it means to live authentically as a part of the tech world. By providing the opportunity to share their experiences and what they'd like to see companies do for their marginalized teammates, it helps the company improve and gives industry peers standards for inclusivity.

 

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Sprout Social places a strong emphasis on diversity and inclusion in the workplace, centering inclusivity as an integral part of their company culture and hiring efforts. Everyone in the company is expected to play a role in encouraging acceptance through the DEI committee. Additionally, the Sprout Social leadership team aims to promote full visibility into their efforts by publicly releasing DEI reports and specific initiatives such as bias training, community engagement and a variety of special resource groups.

 

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Bounteous’ leadership team created a company taskforce to address diversity and inclusion in the office and beyond, through which they host events and embark on initiatives to create a stronger and more accepting work environment for all. Additionally, the company has set up a number of resource groups, community discussion spaces and mentorship opportunities for their LGBTQ+ employees, POC employees, employees with disabilities and others who need extra support.

 

Location: Denver, Colorado

In an effort to help build empathy and understanding for the experiences of their LGBTQ+ team members, Nylas’ diversity and inclusion team compiled coming out stories from several of their employees. The team also included additional information about the importance of positive identity affirmation and the burden of being expected to represent such a diverse community.

 

Location: Denver, Colorado

Given that supporting mental health is their main focus, SonderMind aims to provide services that are inclusive and empowering for LGBTQ+ patients seeking emotional support. The company published a comprehensive pillar page on sexuality, gender and mental health for professional use. The page includes statistics on mental illness and suicide rates among members of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as guides on inclusive language to use when treating patients on a spectrum of sexuality and gender expressions.

Read NextRebelmouse CEO: Tech Must Do More For LGBTQ+ Users

 

Location: Louisville, Colorado

In 2020, Duda’s leadership team put together a press release outlining ways to celebrate pride while social distancing, compiling a list of safe virtual and car events near their offices which people could attend. Additionally, the company also has a donation match program of up to $200 in annual employee donations to organizations like the Matthew Shepard Foundation, True Colors United, the Transgender Law Center and other organizations.

 

Location: Los Angeles, California

Boingo partners with the Center for Excellence in Engineering and Diversity (CEED) to host a number of workshops and events designed to help students from underrepresented backgrounds gain tech skills necessary to pursue their fields of interest. Boingo Wireless’ CMO Dawn Callahan has been featured as a tech leader of note by Lesbians Who Tech, an organization devoted to showcasing queer women who shine in their fields.

 

Location: Fully Remote 

Grindr offers a platform for members of the gay, bisexual, transgender and other queer communities to explore dating options and connect with fellow users in their area. The company has committed to the mission of ensuring that both their workplace and the world beyond are safe and empowering for all sexual and gender identities. Under the moniker, G4E they pursue demographics research and social justice initiatives targeted toward ensuring social justice for the greater LGBTQ+ community.

 

Location: New York, New York 

Gympass’s content team has written a collection of articles and guides on how to make gyms and exercise spaces safer and more accepting for LGBTQ+ customers. Their content includes listicles of LGBTQ+ inclusive athletic spaces, spotlights on the diversity and inclusion efforts of specific gyms, and employee benefits ideas designed to support team members in the LGBTQ+ community.

 

Location: San Francisco, California

The team at Alto Pharmacy, a startup that provides a platform for prescription refills and delivery, participates in the AIDS/Lifecycle, a yearly bicycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles, in order to raise funds for fighting AIDS and supporting LGBTQ+ communities.

 

Location: Chicago, Illinois

In 2020, RXBAR began a collaboration with The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) to release a protein bar pack in honor of Transgender Day of Visibility, with all proceeds going toward NCTE’s community activism and empowerment initiatives.

 

Location: Austin, Texas

QuestionPro released a guide on how to write gender-inclusive gender questionnaires, with information about the significance of gender inclusivity in conducting population surveys. Their guide also includes important facts about transgender identity and the many different ways someone can self-identify in terms of gender

 

Location: Fully Remote

Kazoo’s HR and culture team collaborated on building a 2020 Pride Month calendar so that employees could celebrate even while working remotely. In a company news release, Kazoo outlined the history of the Stonewall Uprising and the importance of celebrating Pride today, as well as highlighting practical steps companies can take to ensure their LGBTQ+ employees feel welcome and safe.

 

Location: Austin, Texas

Adobe’s “Adobe For All” campaign is the backbone of its culture and encourages the company’s development and support of LGBTQ initiatives. Adobe is also recognized as a “Best Place to Work” for LGBTQ+ Equality by the HRC with a score of 100 on its 2021 Corporate Equality Index. The company also shares updates on internal progress and programs for transparency.

 

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