Making strides with pride

Posted September 16th, 2007 at 9:50 pm by Brady Wood, Yahoo! Pride

 5 Comments / Filed in: Trends & News, Working at Yahoo!

Today marks yet another milestone for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community here at Yahoo!. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) just released their 2008 Corporate Equality Index, which rates major corporations on their treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees, consumers, and investors. I’m very proud to announce that Yahoo! scored 100 percent for the first time, and I’m thrilled that today’s HRC press release features Yahoo!’s Chief Marketing Officer, Cammie Dunaway.

Creating a more inclusive workplace for today’s diverse workforce is not simply about creating a warmer, fuzzier, corporate culture. In a knowledge-driven economy, companies that do not embrace employee diversity are at a significant strategic disadvantage. At Yahoo!, we want to hire and retain the best, brightest, and most passionate employees, period. Furthermore, a diverse employee base can become a strategic asset. Yahoo!’s diverse employee base helps us better understand and serve our hugely diverse ecosystem of consumers, partners, and customers. For example, take a look at the LGBT Pride 2006 and 2007 sites, which were built by a group of gay and lesbian employees to market our products to this valuable customer segment.

Over the past few years, Yahoo! has solidified our position as an employer of choice in the LGBT community:

• Did you know that it is still legal in 31 states to fire someone simply because they are gay or lesbian? In 2004, Yahoo! was among the first public companies to support federal legislation that would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. This month, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which also includes protection for transgender employees, is expected to reach Congress for a vote. Yahoo! and more than 45 other major corporations have called on Congress to pass this legislation.
• In 2005, I founded Yahoo! Pride, our LGBT employees group. It has grown to include over 150 Yahoo! employees in at least 13 offices worldwide. Similar groups have since sprung up within the company for interest communities including Accessibility, African-American, Latin American and Hispanic, and Women in Technology.
• In 2006, Yahoo! added “gender identity” to our global non-discrimination policy to protect Transgender employees. We also published guidelines for managers of Transgender employees, to help address some delicate issues like, “which bathroom should I use?” or “when can I change the name and photo on my company badge?”
• In 2007, Yahoo! featured a beloved organization, Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) on our LGBT Pride site and we will make a $10,472 donation to the Point Foundation, in the name of our audience, who submitted 10,472 Worldwide Pride photos to our site.
• What’s next? We’ll continue our annual tradition of handing out National Coming Out Day pins on our campuses, this October 11. These pins have become a collectors’ item over the years. We’re also sponsoring the annual Reaching Out LGBT MBA Conference for the 4th consecutive year, this October.

While I’m bursting with pride for my company today, I’m equally excited to acknowledge that we’re joining a large and quickly growing list of major U.S. businesses that scored a perfect 100. In 2002, only 13 companies achieved a perfect score. Last year those companies numbered 138. This year, Yahoo! joins a list of 195 companies who exemplify that embracing diversity is not only the right thing to do, but it’s also good for business.

Brady Wood
Director of Product Marketing and Founder of Yahoo! Pride

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5 Comments Add your own

Jeff O'Connor | September 17th, 2007 at 6:48 am

Well, you go, boy! :-)

Brian Jordan | September 17th, 2007 at 10:16 am

I am so thrilled to see all your hard work over the years pay off, Brady! As a former Yahoo who not only worked on the LGBT sites but was co-President of Yahoo! Pride, I am gratified to see that the company is where it deserves to be — at the top of corporations in diversity. Great job, Yahoo!

Brian Jordan
Director of Marketing
PlanetOut Inc.

Zaw Thet | September 17th, 2007 at 11:36 am

Way to go Brady!

susan neville | September 25th, 2007 at 9:16 am

Oustanding progress! Congratulations to both you and Yahoo for significant breakthroughs!

Sam Jones | August 17th, 2008 at 8:17 pm

I think it is terrible that Yahoo would support one group as much as they are showing support for the gay and lesbian communities. I think homosexuality is a terrible misuse of the plan God has for men and women. I would pray that all gay and lesbian men and women would find the love they are searching for in the loving Savior Jesus Christ. May you hear God’s wooing of your heart and provide you with His all-sufficient satisfaction.

Sincerely