Bloomberg Celebrates Pride Throughout 2023

Originally published on bloomberg.com

This year, building on decades of support for its LGBTQ+ employees and the community at large, Bloomberg celebrated Pride at offices around the world. Inclusion has long been a tenant of its foundation.

Consistently ranked as one of the best places to work for LGBTQ+ Equality by the Human Rights Campaign, Bloomberg LP has earned a perfect score in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index for six years in a row.

“Pride is a month-long celebration, but the fight for LGBTQ+ rights and recognition doesn’t end in June. We’re committed to LGBTQ+ inclusion year-round at Bloomberg,” said founder Mike Bloomberg, who has championed LGBTQ+ rights for decades across his work in business, government, and philanthropy. He was an early advocate for legalizing same-sex marriage and, as mayor, officiated the first same-sex marriage in New York City on the day it became legal in New York State in 2011.

The company has led on key LGBTQ+ issues around the globe, such as marriage equality. In addition to signing onto an amicus brief in the 2015 US Supreme Court case of Obergefell v. Hodges, Bloomberg has also supported local efforts in Japan and Hong Kong seeking to legalize marriage equality for the LGBTQ+ community. In particular, the firm has been the Signature Sponsor of the Hong Kong Marriage Equality campaign for the last two years.

In Japan, work with Pride has recognized Bloomberg with three consecutive Gold Awards in the PRIDE Index, which measures the increasing role companies play in the promotion of understanding LGBTQ+ issues and protecting LGBTQ+ rights in Japanese society. It has also awarded Bloomberg its “Rainbow” certification in recognition of the company’s cross-sector collaboration in support of LGBTQ+-related initiatives.

An early adopter of the United Nations’ Standards of Conduct for Business tackling discrimination against and unfair treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people in the workplace, Bloomberg was also an early signer of the Business Statement for Transgender Equality, which was issued in 2018 by 18 LGBTQ+ community organizations, led by Out Leadership and the Human Rights Campaign.

Ahead of a flood of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation recently proposed across the U.S., Bloomberg signed the Human Rights Campaign’s Business Statement on Anti-LGBTQ State Legislation, stating its clear opposition to any and all harmful legislation aimed at restricting the rights of LGBTQ+ people.

And this week, Bloomberg is among leading U.S. companies that signed the Count Us In Pledge to stand proudly and publicly as LGBTQ+ allies, while calling on lawmakers to end all discriminatory attacks on the LGBTQ+ community.

Bloomberg also supports The Equality Act and was among the first companies to join the Human Rights Campaign’s Business Coalition for The Equality Act, a group now numbering more than 530 major U.S. companies – representing over 15.9 million employees – who support the act. Reintroduced in Congress earlier this month, this proposed federal legislation would guarantee LGBTQ+ people nationwide the same comprehensive anti-discrimination protections and basic freedoms in the workplace, housing, credit, medical care, and more that other protected groups have enjoyed for decades under U.S. federal law.

The company has long provided benefits in the U.S. and beyond for domestic partners regardless of gender, as well as providing the full suite of health benefits recommended by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s Standards of Care for employees in the U.S. and around the world.

Corporate Philanthropy at Bloomberg also proudly supports nonprofits around the globe that share the company’s commitment to inclusion, active allyship, and advocacy for key LGBTQ+ issues, including those providing specialized support for LGBTQ+ refugees, homeless individuals, and youth.

This year also marks 10 years since the founding of Bloomberg’s LGBT and Ally Community (BPROUD). The employee resource group advocates within the firm and in the broader business community for inclusive and equitable working spaces and career opportunities. One of BPROUD’s early advocates is Bloomberg Chairman Peter Grauer, who has been recognized as a top ally for the LGBTQ+ community.

To mark this year’s Pride, Bloomberg’s global BPROUD chapters either hosted or participated in many different events. Sydney, Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing, São Paulo, Washington, DC, New York, London, Mumbai, and Tokyo are just a few.

In early June, the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus a capella group “TONEWALL” kicked off Pride with a performance at Bloomberg’s global headquarters in New York. Also, for New York’s Pride weekend the top of Bloomberg’s global headquarters at 731 Lexington Avenue was lit up with Pride colors as a reminder of how far the fight for LGBTQ+ inclusion has come, and how Bloomberg stands with the community.

BPROUD also hosted producer, model, and transgender rights activist Geena Rocero at Bloomberg’s global headquarters in New York to talk about her new memoir “Horse Barbie.” Bloomberg News reporter Isabelle Lee interviewed Rocero, who shared her candid reflections from the heights of the Philippines trans pageant scene and moving to the U.S. to work as a fashion model in New York.

Working with BPROUD, Bloomberg also recently launched online training on Transgender Allyship that provides practical tips and advice on how to be a better ally to this community and is available for all employees.

Bloomberg is committed to playing an important role in continuing to build an inclusive and supportive workplace. Inclusion means all of us.