For this year’s Pride month, the pep Pride Employee Resource Group (ERG) is calling for active support from pep employees for the LGBTQ+ community. At a time when rights for transgender and all queer people are being threatened in many states, pep Pride calls for everyone to be an ally for the queer community.
For this year’s Pride Month, showing active support can include many things, such as attending a Pride event in your area, or shopping at a queer-owned business, donating to a charity that provides direct support to the LGBTQ+ community or contacting your state representative to tell you do not support anti-transgender legislation being proposed in many states across the country.
How has pep supported their LGBTQ+ employees?
pep has helped foster a culture of inclusivity for all employees with the creation of employee resources groups and support from pep leadership. The pep Pride ERG has been active for several years and has hosted several Pride events in the past.
With the support of pep Pride, pep has updated their non-discrimination policy to include sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. pep is also planning to have transition care benefits added to their health insurance offers for the 2024 plan year.
pep updated our ERG logo to include the modern-day pride flag to show representation for transgender and asexual communities, as well as including BIPOC representation within the queer community. The change of this logo led pep Creative to redesign logos for all of pep ERG’s, including Multicultural, Parents, and Wellness ERGs.
What has pep Pride ERG been up to lately?
Over the past year, pep Pride has been building education for pep employees about the LGBTQ+ community, as well as promoting advocacy and equity for queer employees and their families. pep Pride advocated to HR to have transition care benefits included in our health insurance benefit offering to employees.
In May, pep’s Pride & Parents ERGs held a training session with Tristan Vaught, consultant and trainer. The training focused on how parents, families and everyone can be more supportive of queer children. The training was a great success with over two dozen people in attendance either in-person or virtually, including senior leaders.
pep also hosted a donation drive for Transform, a non-profit organization in Cincinnati to support transgender youth. Transform was included in part of clothing donation drive in April for Earth Month.
How does the WPP network help support and expand pep’s work in the LGBTQ+ space?
As a part of the WPP network, pep has access to insights and data gathered WPP and its agencies. This data can be leveraged to connect and communicate with LGBTQ+ people in a meaningful way.
In March 2023, WPP’s LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group, Unite, published a report called Beyond the Rainbow, which surveyed people from across the United States, Canada, and the UK. Over 3,500 responses were received from LGBTQ+ people, with over 4,000 responses received from non-LGBTQ+ people for comparison. The goal was to equip WPP agencies, including pep, with tools to connect and communicate with LGBTQ+ people in a meaningful way.
The comprehensive report showed how various members of the LGBTQ+ community interact with different forms of media. Only 38% of people who consume queer media are satisfied with how LGBTQ+ people are represented.
The report also shared aspects of identity and representation in the workplace with less than half of LGBTQ+ people still not out at work. The majority of queer people and half of non-queer people believe that brands should do more to support the LGBTQ+ people outside of Pride month.
Celebrating Pride this month and beyond
This month is a celebration of diversity and inclusivity. pep is grateful for the opportunity to stand shoulder to shoulder with the LGBTQ+ community, advocating for equality and acceptance. pep’s commitment to create a workplace and community where everyone is celebrated extends far beyond these 30 days; the spirit of Pride is with us every day as we embrace diversity, foster inclusivity, and champion the rights of all.