In the early hours of June 28, 1969, the police arrived at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village, NY, to arrest gay, lesbian, trans, bisexual, and other members of the LGBTQIA+ community who were there.
Police began a raid, but the bar's clients resisted arrest, starting a riot that escalated and caused scenes of violence that were mitigated after long hours. In rejection of police brutality, leaders of the LGBTQIA+ collective called to protest at the bar for the next five nights. During those six days, 21 people were arrested.
Although these days of protest did not immediately change the treatment that security forces gave to LGBTQIA+ community members, nor did they result in changes in the regulation that criminalized sexual diversity; many organizations and associations had their origins in Stonewall. These groups carried out the first Pride March on June 28, 1970, one year after the riots, and continued the fight for community rights in the decades that followed.
In Argentina, a survey published in 2021, conducted by the consultancy Bridge The Gap together with the Argentine LGBT Chamber of Commerce (CCGLAR) indicates that 92% of LGBTQIA+ people consider that there is discrimination in the workplace. Followed by the family environment (86%), education (82%), and the media (81%). In turn, 42.8% consider that this increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The inclusion of minorities in companies is seen positively by a large part of society. Consumers are making purchasing decisions and endorsing brands with strong values of diversity, equity and inclusion, and employees want to work in diverse and inclusive teams where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive and belong. However, only 36% of the people surveyed consider that companies are carrying out actions to improve the workplace for the LGBTQIA+ collective.
A document from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) and Fundación Iguales points out that in non-inclusive environments, 72% of LGBTQIA+ workers leave the company before the third year, and that 1 in 4 decide not to be visible at work out of fear to lose employment opportunities, career, salary or the job position.
Argentina is one of the Latin American countries that has made the most progress in inclusion policies. Every June, many companies change their traditional logos on social media to one with the rainbow in recognition and support of the LGBTQIA+ fight.
However, in some cases they are superficial actions in which a company seems to support the community through marketing actions. These programs have the objective of being recognized as allies and positioning themselves as diverse and inclusive organizations before their competitors and the young people, who find fighting for social causes attractive when choosing where to develop their career. However, many of these actions are not sustained on a day-to-day basis, as they are not reflected in internal practices to empower employees of the LGBTQIA+ community or support them in their challenges against discrimination and inequality. This is known as “rainbow washing”.
Taking the step towards true LGBTQIA+ inclusion requires companies to undertake a deep review of their communication and internal processes. Here are some key points to consider:
In addition to these points, the data collection on diversity, a comprehensive people management program and the commitment of organizational leaders are essential to move from rainbow washing to true contribution to the LGBTQIA+ movement.
All the firms that belong to the Grant Thornton network are guided by our CLEARR values: Collaboration, Leadership, Excellence, Agility, Accountability and Respect. This last value means for us "knowing how to use influence wisely" recognizing that we own our actions. This is why we believe in respect for sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression; and we provide our employees with workspaces in which they can express their identity without suffering negative repercussions.
Our personnel selection policyestablishes that the candidate's qualifications, skills and professional experience will be exclusively considered, regardless of race, colour, religion, nationality, age, sex, sexual orientation or marital status.
As a Firm, we are committed to being a friendly workplace, where everyone feels safe and encourages people to be authentic, fully live their originality and be themselves all the time and everywhere.
We believe that diversity strengthens us and that providing an environment free from harassment, intimidation and discrimination allows each of our employees to do their best in their tasks and provide quality service.
"The origin of our fight is in the desire for all freedoms"
Carlos Jáuregui