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

Shortly after that lunch, I founded Yahoo! Pride, the company’s LGBT employee stakeholder group. This group now includes over 150 LGBT employees in more than 13 Yahoo! offices around the world. We’ve worked with HR to solidify Yahoo!’s progressive employment policies and benefits. We organize educational, community outreach, and recruiting events. We hang a rainbow flag in Yahoo!’s headquarters for special occasions. And yes, we get our “family” together for a cocktail party every once in a while.

It’s June and that means it’s the peak of Gay Pride season. Our group is celebrating by unveiling our second annual Yahoo! LGBT Pride site. We have some fun in store and some hot debates lined up. Perhaps best of all, we’re calling on the LGBT community to help Yahoo! donate money to a charity that grants college scholarships to promising, but disadvantaged, LGBT youth.

Highlights of this year’s Yahoo! LGBT Pride site include:

• Yahoo! Answers: Notables from the LGBT community ask burning questions on topics ranging from mentoring gay youth to outing closeted celebrities for the millions of Answers users to weigh in on. These notables include celeb blogger Perez Hilton, former NBA player John Amaechi, “Ugly Betty” star Judith Light, PFLAG President John Cepek, and local SF favorites, Fernando & Greg, who host the nation’s only all-gay radio morning show.
• Flickr: See Pride photos on a world map. For each photo uploaded to our Pride photo pool, Yahoo! will donate $1 to the Point Foundation (up to $25,000).
• Yahoo! Avatars: The newest fashions, for a (stereotypically) fashionable audience. PFLAG shirts, pride shirts, rainbows galore, leather outfits, and a “Gayborhood” background. Oh, yes, we did.
• Upcoming: Pride event listings from around the world.
• MyBlogLog: Community-building tools for gay visitors and bloggers.
• And, Yahoo! Music, Yahoo! Personals, and a LGBT charity-finder.

I’m also pleased to announce that Yahoo! will make our return to San Francisco LGBT Pride this year, on June 24. We had a float in the SF Pride parade years ago, and we’ll have a fabulous booth at this year’s festival. Yahoo! will also sponsor San Diego LGBT Pride for the second year in a row — stop by and see our booth on July 21-22.

That lunch with Cammie sparked a chain reaction of meetings, friendships, policies, events, and product launches that has positively impacted thousands of employees at Yahoo!, and has the potential to reach tens of millions of LGBT consumers around the world every month. It’s pretty incredible to work at a place that not only encourages employees to bring our passions to work each day, but also enables us to connect to our passions and communities on a massive, global scale.

Check out our 2007 LGBT Pride site at http://events.yahoo.com/pride

Brady Wood
Director, Product Marketing & Founder of Yahoo! Pride