Celebrating 50 years of Pride

DocuSign London Pride Events 2019

Pride London (and around the world) is one of our favourite times of the year at DocuSign because we believe that having an inclusive culture isn’t just a value but must be something we actually do. Pride month for DocuSign is an opportunity to show the LGBTQIA+ community around the world that we mean what we say: be free to be your authentic selves, every day, and be proud!

At DocuSign we are continually learning about the many issues the LGBTQIA+ community faces and exploring best practices for how to foster inclusive workplaces - starting with our own. 

Creating an inclusive and diverse culture is central to our values. We promote policies, opportunities, and activities that will increase LGBTQIA+ diversity and equality at DocuSign and beyond. Pride is such a key time of the year because it's so important for the liberation and empowerment of the LGBTQIA+ community and its values are central to building a kinder, more inclusive society.  

Pride at DocuSign UK

We’ve been getting into the swing of things in the DocuSign London office.  Pride is a great opportunity to underline our commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community and to underscore our passion for equality, inclusion and diversity in our workplace. 

Last week, we started Pride in London with an engaging “LGBT in a diverse workplace” workshop facilitated by the Metro Charity.

What’s more, we celebrated with a “Spice up your Life!” Drag Queen performance by Just May - the UK’s premier Gerri Halliwell impersonator!

DocuSign Pride celebrations in London

We also discovered what economic empowerment means for the LGBTQIA+ community made possible by the Micro Rainbow International charity

The History of Pride

Can you believe Pride is 50 and is celebrating  the #pridejubilee this year? It’s been 50 years since an event that sparked the Pride movement took in New York: The Stonewall Riot. The Stonewall Inn - an iconic gay bar on Christopher Street, Manhattan - was raided by police in June 1969,  which sparked a riot by members of the local gay and lesbian community. It wasn’t long before Pride marches began around the world, starting in Chicago and soon moving across the US, crossing the Atlantic to Europe and beyond. The first Pride London event was in 1972. 

As many as a million people attended Pride in London events in 2018 and Pride London events have included the “Big Gay Out” festival in 2004, “Drag Idol” in 2006 and hosted “Europride” in 1992. This year Pride London 2019 will include events such as “Trans in Tech”, “iBikeLondon” and “Pride’s Got Talent”. You can learn more about the events taking place as part of London Pride here.

Stay tuned by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter over to see how we are supporting and celebrating Pride in London.

Whatever you’re doing to celebrate Pride this month, have fun and be proud! 

Author
Mangesh Bhandarkar
GVP, Product Management
Published