June is recognized globally as a time of reflection and celebration for the LGBTQ community. Every year, Pride celebrations are held around the world to commemorate the Stonewall Riots in New York, the anniversary of the Supreme Court case of Obergefell v. Hodges, and individuals such as Harvey Milk and Audrey Lorde who helped pave the way for LGBTQ rights. This month, we encourage you to take a moment to remember those who took a stand for equality and join those who are still fighting for LGBTQ rights. The fight for equality is not something of the past, but the responsibility of those living in the present.
Here at Yahoo, we’re recognizing these individuals and milestones by celebrating all month long with our Yahoo Pride Employee Resource Group (ERG) and by leveraging the power of our products and network to drive inclusivity. Here’s just some what we have planned:
Yahoo Mail: Share your Pride with family and friends all month long by using our Pride-themed stationery
Yahoo Homepage: During Pride weekend, June 23 – 25, our Yahoo Homepage will commemorate this important time, highlighting our continued commitment to diversity
Yahoo Billboard: If you’re driving north into San Francisco, CA on Interstate 80, take a look at our iconic billboard, which will be painted rainbow in celebration with messages of encouragement
Yahoo is committed to making our company a best place to work for the LGBTQ community and has been recognized for the past 10 years by the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, scoring a perfect 100 each time. With the help of our ERG, we strive to maintain a strong culture of diversity and equality by building a safe workplace. We continually educate our employees on LGBTQ rights to ensure our employees can always feel proud of who they are. Happy Pride Month to all of our users and our employees!
Yahoo has and always will recognize the inalienable right to equality for all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression. The action taken by the Administration is troubling and goes against all that we believe in.
By Chris Kolk, Chair of the Yahoo Pride Employee Resource Group
In recognition of the LGBTQ community and to highlight our commitment to equality, Yahoo is unveiling new features to inspire and delight users during this month of celebration.
Yahoo Mail: Use pride-themed stationery on desktop to share and spread your Pride with friends and family.
Flickr: Enjoy a rainbow loading bar on desktop if you find yourself waiting for any images to load – a minimalist aesthetic touch to show our support.
Homepage: Learn more about Yahoo’s LGBTQ commitment on Yahoo.com throughout the weekend of the San Francisco and New York City Pride Parades (June 24-26).
Sign Up: As we’ve previously highlighted, when signing up for any Yahoo product on desktop or mobile, submitting your gender is now optional, as we recognize that you may not identify in a binary manner.
Billboard: If you’re driving in the Bay Area, you may notice our iconic Billboard has been painted the rainbow in celebration, adding a pop of color to your daily commute.
We hope you enjoy these updates. Check out some of the other Pride activities we’re sponsoring here.
By Chris Kolk, Chair of the Yahoo Pride Employee Resource Group
Today at Yahoo, the LGBTQ and American flags are being flown at half-staff to honor the Orlando shooting victims. Our hearts and thoughts are with the family, friends and victims of this act of terrorism and hatred, and their lives will be remembered in all Pride activities this month at Yahoo.
This weekend as the Yahoo Pride Employee Resource Group, together with family and friends, stood proud to march in the L.A. Pride parade – those whose lives were forever changed by this senseless tragedy were at the forefront of our minds. In days like these, it is important for us to not only remember why we march but to celebrate the freedom and liberty that has been so hard fought. We will continue to stand with Orlando and are in discussions on specific ways we can honor all who were impacted. We will march forward and live authentically, as it’s important to remember that everyone deserves the opportunity and freedom to be their true selves.
Please join me in remembrance of those impacted by this tragedy.
Diverse
ideas and perspectives drive innovation, and at Yahoo we celebrate and welcome
all employees and users regardless of race, ethnic background and sexual
orientation. We believe that Difference plus imagination equals Innovation!
That is the essence of our Talent strategy and what makes our culture great.
That’s why we’re proud to announce that for the ninth year in a row, Yahoo has
scored 100% on theHuman Rights Campaign
Corporate Equality Index, making Yahoo a ‘Best Place to Work’ for LGBT employees!
Yahoo’s
benefits for LGBT employees are leading in the industry, including enhanced
transgender benefits. Our transgender benefits to now cover reconstructive
procedures including: facial feminization, voice therapy, electrolysis, hair
transplantation, breast augmentation and prostheses - we provide up to $100,000
of coverage for these procedures. We also provide a travel reimbursement for
the employee and a loved one to travel for the procedures.
Yahoo is
proud to support all of our colleagues who are part of or allies of the LGBT
community, and to facilitate discussion and dialog for the important issues
facing the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning community.
We’re
honored the Human Rights Campaign has recognized our amazing company for nine years
in a row.
Fascinating people and inspiring moments define a generation. The way these stories are told impact not only how current issues are brought to our attention, but how they are ultimately overcome.
On June 22, we’re relaunching an expanded version of our award-winning short-form documentary series, Viewfinder, bringing the most compelling individuals and issues in today’s world to our global audience – from women’s rights on the streets of India, to living as a transgender teen in Brooklyn, NY.
A previous winner of the Edward R. Murrow Award, Viewfinder will feature reporting from some of our top Yahoo editorial talent including Chief Investigative Correspondent Michael Isikoff, News and Finance Anchor Bianna Golodryga and National Sports Columnist Dan Wetzel, among others, and will be produced by our Yahoo Studios. Regular guest contributors will offer special reports on issues impacting today’s youth, including Gideon Yago, former MTV News and CBS News Correspondent, and Baron Davis, former NBA player, among others. We’ve also partnered with top journalism and film programs at universities across the country, including Duke, Columbia, University of California, Berkeley and Stanford, to share stories from the next generation of filmmakers and storytellers.
Our debut story is “Uniquely Nasty: The U.S. Government’s War on Gays” and is reported by Chief Investigative Correspondent Michael Isikoff. The documentary uncovers more than 60 years of government persecution of gays and lesbians as told through the eyes of Charles Francis, an openly gay associate of George W. Bush, and an in-depth historical investigation into a dark and largely unknown chapter of America’s past.
You can check out Viewfinder on Yahoo Screen, Yahoo News and a multimedia experience on Tumblr. We hope you enjoy!
What’s your personal connection with
the LGBTQ community?
In 2014, I met Danial, my fiancee on the dating app Tindr. He
gave me so much strength and was so excited to talk to his family and friends
about our relationship. However, I was still closeted to those around me. It
didn’t feel…
What’s
your personal connection with the LGBTQ community?
I am a female to male transgendered
individual. Looking back, I knew I identified as male at about six years old.
At the time, I didn’t know what that meant, that there was a term for what I
was feeling, or that even trans people…
At Yahoo, we believe that a diverse workforce and inclusive culture are integral to innovation. We work hard to ensure our employees have the support and opportunities that enable them to thrive, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. In recognition of these efforts, the Human Rights Campaign awarded Yahoo a perfect score for eight consecutive years on the Corporate Equality Index. In the wake of that honor, we are thrilled to announce that Yahoo will be receiving The Trevor Project’s 20/20 Visionary Award at its 16th annual TrevorLIVE event.
The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ youth. The 20/20 Visionary Award is reserved for corporations with strong public LGBTQ initiatives.
TrevorLIVE, held in Los Angeles on December 7, brings together top entertainers, advocates and corporate leaders to support the Trevor Project’s life-saving, life-affirming work.
