Celebrating Pride Month

Colleen Kendle -

Happy Pride Month! At SpotOn, we celebrate all orientations, identities, and families—in June and all year long.

The theme for World Pride 2021 is #YouAreIncluded. After a year of physical distancing and separation, this is an opportunity for us to celebrate the awesome power of togetherness and inclusion.

According to the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, LGBTQIA+-owned businesses already contribute over $1.7 trillion to our economy. We’re proud to celebrate Pride Month by supporting the next generation of these community leaders with a donation to StartOut, which empowers LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs to build their businesses and create jobs within their local communities. This organization is closely aligned to our mission of supporting and empowering small business owners as vibrant cornerstones of our communities.

As rainbows decorate our social media feeds and Zoom backgrounds this month, we remember that backing LGBTQIA+ equality wasn’t always the popular or business-savvy thing to do. We reflect upon the origins of Pride Month as a fight for basic human rights led largely by Black trans women like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. And we honor the important role that they played in helping to create inclusive communities and workplaces.

We also know that the fight is not over. According to the ACLU, nearly half of LGBTQIA+ adults live in states that do not prohibit job discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation. At SpotOn, we’ve incorporated the following into our culture to support our vibrant and diverse employee base.

  • Optional pronoun disclosure is invited in corporate communication channels.
  • Employees are welcome to dress and use restroom facilities in alignment with their gender identity.
  • We prohibit harassment and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. This includes intentional misgendering.

We invite you to learn more about the LGBTQIA+ community and support queer-owned businesses in your area this month. Check out the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce directory here.