HPE celebrates LGBTQ Pride: Connecting with Pride around the World
This summer, we’re recognizing Pride by celebrating the rich cultural diversity, range of experiences, intersectionality, and remarkable progress of LGBTQ+ team members at HPE. Marcia Wolf, executive sponsor of the Global Pride Resource Group shares her thoughts on the moment.
- In July, our Global Pride Resource Group hosted their signature event in recognition of celebrations occurring around the world from May through October
- HPE is committed to growing and fostering our LGBTQ+ talent and being a force for good in the communities where we live and work
Pride is dedicated to celebrating and reflecting on the progress in the fight for justice, inclusion, and equality while reaffirming our commitment to do more to support the LGBTQ+ community around the world. Members of the LGBTQ+ community—especially people of color and trans people—continue to face discrimination and cruel, persistent efforts to undermine their human rights.
Why do you think it’s important that HPE celebrates Pride?
I feel that it’s especially important that HPE, as a global company, be visible in their allyship and support of LGBTQ+ team members. Celebrating Pride is a visible and tangible way for HPE to demonstrate that we value individual differences and support team members in celebrating their authentic selves.
“We can create a better future for our global LGBTQ+ community globally by leveraging our platform to foster deeper understanding of the challenges the community has overcome, continues to face, and the opportunity for all of us to work together for the good of the company and our communities.”
We can create a better future for our global LGBTQ+ community by leveraging our platform to foster deeper understanding of the challenges the community has overcome, continues to face, and the opportunity for all of us to work together for the good of the company and our communities. By sharing our stories and acting as allies for one another, we aim to create an environment of unconditional inclusion where all team members can feel seen, heard and valued.
Further, we believe that a culture that’s unconditionally inclusive has the power to capture the wealth of perspectives and ideas that fuel creativity and innovation—allowing HPE to continue being a highly sought-after edge-to-cloud powerhouse. It’s why we’ve spent the last two years developing our robust voluntary self-identification program, “Count me in. I belong!”, which allows team members to self-identify based on elements such as race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual identity, veteran status, disability status. By sharing this information, our team members help us understand the composition of our global workforce.
I’m proud to share that we have completed successful launches to date in the United States, Puerto Rico, UK, Mexico, Brazil, with additional plans to expand to Costa Rica, Colombia and India later this year.
We are committed to ensuring that HPE's workforce reflects our global business and customers and establishes a culture that fosters equity and inclusion.
“This year’s theme of “Connecting with Pride around the World” gives me pause to stand with those team members and celebrate with them minimally within the inclusive culture of HPE, but ideally in the hope that liberties and inclusion will improve around the world.”
How does your personal story relate to this year’s theme of “Connecting with Pride around the World?”
I feel blessed and fortunate to live in a country where I can legally marry my same-sex partner. I never want to take this liberty for granted. As we celebrate this year’s theme of “Connecting with Pride around the World,” it gives me pause to reflect on my own journey and those of others that may not have the same rights. It’s a reminder of the work that remains to be completed, it reenforces my commitment to stand steadfast with team members that need support, and it gives me hope that over time we’ll continue to be able to improve conditions for LGBTQ+ people around the world.
What are you hoping to see the Global Pride RG accomplish in FY24?
The Global Pride Resource Group is dedicated to fostering an inclusive, supportive, and engaging environment for our LGBTQ+ team members and allies via mentoring, networking, and professional development. As Executive Sponsor and a member of our DEI Council, I would like to see Pride continue to be a safe space to listen and support our team members. This is especially crucial for LGBTQ+ team members that live in areas or regions of the world where they’re unable to live as their authentic selves. Further, during recent listening sessions, a recurring theme on the importance of visibility and allyship came to light. Team members reiterated the importance of seeing symbols and programming—such as the Pride flag and other events—to continue to help foster advocacy and inclusion. I will continue to work with our Global Pride Resource Group leadership team to ensure we’re able to meet these needs for the community.
From your perspective, what role does tech play in advancing the LGBTQ+ community?
Technology has played a transformative role in advancing the LGBTQ+ community. In particular, social media has shifted the way we’re able to tell our stories, connect with one another, organize events, create awareness, and bolster education. With the advent of social media, LGBTQ+ individuals now have a global platform to share their personal experiences, advocate for their rights, and highlight issues impacting the community. With this increased visibility, we’re now better able to combat stereotypes and misinformation, reach out to allies and foster a more nuanced, accurate, and positive representation of the community.
Another way in which I’ve seen technology play a role for advancing the LGBTQ+ community is through the dissemination of educational resources and online information on topics related to LGBTQ+ history, rights, health, and more. Through the development of educational resources and online communities, technology has significantly reduced feelings of isolation, especially for those in regions where LGBTQ+ acceptance is limited. These virtual connections as well as access to healthcare, financial and employment resources can be lifesaving for people who might not have access to supportive communities in their immediate surroundings.
The tech industry also provides a platform for LGBTQ+ individuals to shape meaningful careers, contribute to innovation, drive positive change, advocate for inclusion, and inspire future generations.
Overall, tech empowers the LGBTQ+ community to amplify our voices, create change and foster a more inclusive society.