LGBTQ+ at Unilever Australia and New Zealand

And while Pride month is associated with carnivals and sparkle, celebrating tolerance and acceptance, current events also remind us that that change comes from taking a stand.

The genesis of Pride month is no exception. The first march on 28 June 1970 was held to mark the first anniversary of the Stonewall riots – a series of demonstrations in New York – and to concentrate the efforts of the LGBTQI+ community on their human rights and help establish places for gay men and lesbians to be open about their sexual orientation without being arrested.

We pride ourselves on being a diverse and tolerant business, but there is still much to be done to make it a tolerant and inclusive world.

It’s also why – alongside our online celebrations to mark Pride – we’re taking action. We’re taking a stand. We’re signing our name. We’re working to make our LGBTQI+ colleagues and consumers as proud of us as we are of them. Here are six initiatives we’re supporting.

Signing the Declaration of Amsterdam

On 19 June, our CEO Alan Jope will sign the Declaration of Amsterdam – a global statement of support for LGBTQI+ rights. “The Declaration of Amsterdam has a strong symbolic value for us,” says Frank Galestien, who works in Unilever’s Foods & Refreshment team and is organising some of our Virtual Pride events in the Netherlands. “Signing the Declaration is something that makes us extremely proud. It links clearly to Unilever’s purpose to allow everyone to bring their whole self to the workplace. This is a very important signal on how much inclusivity is valued,” he adds.

Sense-checking our resources with Stonewall

Stonewall works with institutions and organisations to create inclusive and accepting cultures. They will work alongside Unilever to audit our policies and procedures. We will be able to access their resources and training and participate in their Global Workplace Equality indices to benchmark how we are progressing on LGBTQI+ inclusion in our workplace.

Promoting inclusion in our business and beyond

We’ve joined Open for Business, a coalition of leading global companies to show we mean business on taking action on LGBT+ inclusion globally.