Bridge Partners is committed to the necessary and urgent need for equity and anti-transphobic/homophobic action in our country.
We celebrate LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual) people who have risked their lives and continue to do so for our collective future. We recognize that while the Stonewall Riots served as a catalyst for Pride, it was not a random event, but one that was the culmination of a whole community’s frustration at unjust policing and economic exploitation. We acknowledge the legacy of figures such as Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, and Storme DeLarverie whose careers of activism did not start or end with the Stonewall Riots.
Most importantly, LGBTQIA+ liberation, at its heart, is a collective community uprising that can’t be assigned to a single person or small group. It takes all of us doing our best to serve as organizers and activists in our communities.
When it comes to making an impact and expanding your thinking, knowing where to begin can be the most challenging part. That’s why we put together a brief resource that can serve as a starting point for being active during Pride Month and beyond. This resource will help you get to know the history of Pride, how to support LGBTQIA+-led media, where you can connect with LGBTQIA+-owned businesses, and how to bring that impact into your org.
Start By Getting to Know the History
An integral starting point of engaging with and celebrating Pride month is acknowledging its history. The LGBTQIA+ publication “Them” has created a great introduction to this history that can be found here. You can read another great piece written by Elyssa Goodman that provides additional historical context beyond the events of the Stonewall Riots. Seek out your own local LGBTQIA+ community groups through PFLAG to find out how to get involved!
Support LGBTQIA+ Led Media
Seeking out and supporting LGBTQIA+ voices—voices that have been systemically marginalized—is another way to elevate the spirit of Pride month. Finding local and national publications that center on these perspectives can help keep us aware of current events and help us find ways to get involved. For example, Seattle has SGN: Seattle Gay/Lesbian/LGBTQ News to highlight local LGBTQIA+ stories/events or you can view stories from the online publications The Advocate, Them, or LGBTQNation for a more wide-ranging coverage of stories and issues. Look out for publications that exist within your communities!
Support LGBTQIA+ Businesses
Where you choose to spend your money can speak to your values. There are wonderful resources available that highlight LGBTQIA+ businesses and make it easier than ever to support them.
Locally in Seattle, you can use the Greater Seattle Business Association, the largest LGBTQ and allied chamber of commerce in North America or you can make use of the Seattle Met for ideas.
Nationally, you can use the nationally aggregated LGBTQIA+ Business Directory put together by the Intentionalist to find businesses in a city near you!
Expand Your Impact in Your Org
It starts with the individual, but to drive lasting change it must develop into a larger organization. Ensure your organization is elevating authenticity and diversity in its business framework. These are some ways Bridge Partners embeds our values of diversity and inclusion into our organization:
Start Employee-led Initiatives
Allow everyone to lead by creating employee-led committees or councils that play a part in the planning and strategy of company-wide DE&I efforts. Our DE&I committee is fully employee-led and is one of the driving forces behind company efforts around DE&I. Being an employee-led council provides many benefits to employees and company cultures such as elevating voices, inclusion in company strategy, and excitement around these initiatives.
Commit to Diversity Equity and Inclusion
Your company’s commitment to DE&I does not start and stop at a social post during pride month. It must be embedded into the fabric of your business and the company’s culture. Start by creating a concrete DE&I statement and promoting a strategy around social responsibility. Incorporate this into your company’s meetings, initiatives, goals, and culture.
Contribute to Impact
To create change outside of your org, find a non-profit organization to contribute to that aligns with your company’s values. To show our commitment during Pride, Bridge Partners has chosen an organization to support that directly impacts the LGBTQ+ community and especially the most vulnerable youth: The Trevor Project. We’ve made this contribution for multiple years in honor of our consultant-led Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council, and all our amazing and caring employees who want to be on a team where they can bring their whole and true selves and identity to their work and their lives.
READY TO GROW YOUR CAREER?
Bridge Partners delivers real results for the world’s largest tech and cloud companies—but our work starts with a commitment to each other and our communities. Our flexible, people-centered modern workplace attracts purpose-driven professionals looking for work that integrates with their lives while making a recognizable impact for top-tier clients. As a respected collaborator in the tech industry for 15 years, we win by developing consultants who care—about our work, our clients, our communities, and each other. Whether we’re meeting in person or across time zones, people make our workplace. And our workplace helps make our work better.
Learn more about what it’s like to work at Bridge Partners at our Careers page and follow us on LinkedIn for the latest company news.
