Honoring Our Intersectional Pride
In many countries around the world, June is Pride month, a month that celebrates and commemorates the impact that LGBTQ+ individuals continue to have on society. This year, the spirit of Pride lives on in our resilience in the fight for equality and acceptance for all within our intersectional communities. Let us not forget that the uprising at Stonewall in 1969 was led by many members of our intersectional community, including prominent Black trans women, and that none of the progress made for the acceptance and equality of LGBTQ+ people over the past 51 years would be possible without their action and courage.
At Biogen, we foster belonging in our intersectional communities where hate and discrimination have no place and where we work to reduce disparities. For example, Biogen recently launched a Health Equity team to address the experience of the LGBTQ+ and intersectional health care communities. In recent years, our internal Diversity and Inclusion team in the United Kingdom welcomed Bisi Alimi, a Nigerian gay rights activist, who spoke to our colleagues about serving as an HIV and LGBTQ advocate. Last year, Biogen hosted an Intersectionality Conference in Cambridge that addressed the overlapping disadvantages and privileges we may have, and how these identities influence how we show up in the world. In the United States, Biogen has a strong history of taking a stand against several discriminatory legislative bills. As Biogen continues to advocate for the health and safety of Black and LGBTQ+ people, we recognize that to celebrate Pride is to stand in unity and solidarity with our whole intersectional community.
Traditional celebrations of Pride are being redefined globally as acts of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. We have updated our Biogen social media channels with a new logo to honor the intersectional community. We know that we have a lot more to learn and we are committed to doing so with the goal of ensuring that Biogen is a truly inclusive workplace in all our locations. Together, our voices and actions carry weight and hope for meaningful change.
