Pride Month is celebrated each year during the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City. The Stonewall riots were a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the U.S. and quickly became a symbol of resistance to social and political discrimination across the world.

Pride is both a communal celebration of visibility and allyship and a personal celebration of self-worth and dignity. This Pride Month, we recognize the valuable contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) individuals across the world, and we reaffirm our commitment to standing in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community in the ongoing struggle against discrimination and injustice.

The LGBTQ+ community has achieved remarkable progress since Stonewall. Twenty of the 33 countries that have legalized same-sex marriage worldwide are situated in Europe and Asia, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Forty-three countries provide protections against hate crimes based on sexual orientation. U.S. Supreme Court rulings in recent years have affirmed marriage equality and secured workplace protections for LGBTQ+ individuals in every state and territory. Most recently, the U.S. Department of State has offered a third gender marker for nonbinary, intersex, and gender-nonconforming passport applicants, and these individuals are no longer required to submit any medical documentation, even if their selected gender differs from their other citizenship or identity documents.

Despite progress, there is more work to be done, as there are advances being made globally to roll back protections for the LGBTQ+ community. Currently, there are 69 countries that have laws that criminalize homosexuality, including eight countries where it is punishable by death. According to Galop’s 2021 Hate Crime Report, two-thirds (64%) of LGBTQ+ people in the UK have experienced anti-LGBTQ+ violence or abuse. In the U.S., over half of states could still deny LGBTQ+ Americans basic freedoms like the right to rent a home or the ability to receive public goods and services simply because of who they love or who they are, according to the Human Rights Campaign. In addition, the U.S. continues to witness a spike in violence against transgender women of color; LGBTQ+ individuals face bullying and harassment in educational settings and are at a disproportionate risk of self-harm and death by suicide; and some states have chosen to actively target transgender youth through discriminatory bills.

At T. Rowe Price, we are dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and have implemented a three-year intentional, global strategy designed to expand and strengthen our diverse workforce to provide the best service to our global client base. Here are a few ways we are demonstrating our commitment to creating and sustaining an inclusive environment in respect of sexual orientation, gender, and trans identity:

• With chapters in the U.S., EMEA, and APAC, PRIDE @ T. Rowe Price is our associate-led business resource group dedicated to ensuring that our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender associates and allies are comfortable bringing their full selves to work every day. From participating in the Mardi Gras 2022 Fair Day in Sydney, Australia; the London and Luxembourg Pride parades; and the Hong Kong and Japan Pink Dot festivals, to sponsoring trainings and events such as a parenting LGBTQ+ children discussion and ally training, this group supports our associate recruitment and engagement efforts and promotes education and awareness initiatives in alignment with our DEI strategy.
   

• Strategic partnerships with organizations such as LGBT Great, Stonewall, PowerToFly, myGwork, and Lesbians Who Tech help us make a positive impact while recruiting diverse talent, engaging our associates, creating an inclusive environment, and communicating our commitment and progress. They also serve to benchmark our success among other organizations and within our industry. T. Rowe Price is proud to have earned 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s annual assessment of LGBTQ+ workplace equality for six consecutive years. In addition, the firm is a Stonewall Diversity Champion and LGBT Great founding member with numerous associates being named to their Project 1000 Role Models list.
   
• An internal Self-ID campaign provides us with valuable data on the representation of diverse communities within our workforce. When combined with other data, it helps us to identify areas of improvement in executing our DEI strategy and programming. It also assists us in developing leaders as role models; achieving organizational awareness and education; understanding key priorities; and attracting, developing, empowering, and retaining talent to drive business success.
   
• All of us can be catalysts for change. All of us can be stronger global advocates. We recognize the need to advance equity beyond our workplace and acknowledge that our voice is needed to support the LGBTQ+ community. T. Rowe Price offers access to inspirational speakers sharing their lived experiences as members of the LGBTQ+ community, educational training, and other resources for creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ associates and allies. The firm regularly offers Pride Ally Training to educate associates on issues that LGBTQ+ associates may face in today’s workplace. We also create safe spaces for associates to discuss the challenges this community faces. In addition, we encourage our associates to volunteer and donate to organizations working to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people globally.
   

As we commemorate Pride Month and other celebrations of diversity, we invite you to learn more about our DEI initiatives and how our differences bring us together.