LGBTIQ+ Pride Month at SAP Argentina

Do you know why we commemorate LGBTIQ+ Pride Month in June?

In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, homeless LGBTIQ+ teens, trans women of color, lesbians, drag queens, gay men, and allies all decided to take a stand. What started out as a routine police raid of the Stonewall Inn gay bar in New York City, turned into an uprising that went on for several nights on the streets of Greenwich Village. It wasn’t the first time the LGBTIQ+ community fought back against oppression, but a key turning point for the explosive growth of the liberation movement and fight for equal rights that soon spread across the US and around the globe.

Today marks the 50th anniversary of this important event for humankind. Since then, even if there’s still much to be done, we commemorate and celebrate LGBTIQ+ Pride Month worldwide throughout June.

Why talk about “Pride”?

For many people around the world, this is the one time of the year they get to be their true selves. For many, this is the one time they get to be celebrated and uplifted just like anyone else. “Pride” is about the right to exist without prosecution.

Where do corporations come in?

Lots of corporations these days have a strong, genuine focus on Diversity & Inclusion and put it at the top of their agenda. At SAP, Pride@SAP’s main goal is to promote inclusion of the LGBTIQ+ community as well as create a safe, welcoming work environment where everyone can be authentic, no matter their sexual orientation, gender identity or its expression.

At SAP Argentina, we’ve been doing quite a lot since our Pride@SAP chapter was founded back in 2015, from liaising with NGOs, Government agencies and the private sector to hosting awareness activities and events all year long and envisioning special programs to include and empower the transgender community with Casa Trans or Abriendo Puertas.

This year, we had some very innovative proposals for LGBTIQ+ Pride Month:

“Coming out of the closet” experience: We created an installation made of an iron structure and rainbow curtains that represented a closet and invited people to walk through it. We hired transgender promoters to let participants know what was expected out of it:

• Take a moment to think about what they fear other people might find out about them or dreams they haven’t yet been able to accomplish
• Write them down in a sticker
• Walk in the closet, paste the sticker on the wall, and come out with a sense of new-found relief

The intent of the activity was for everyone to understand how we are all bound by prejudice and the fact that we hide things about ourselves out of fear or shame, or for whatever other reason. The event was a hit that drew 200+ people who left some very powerful messages we will follow up on in upcoming activities.

Pride@SAP Talk Show: We hosted an event in the cafeteria with Malena Amarilla, member of our local core team, who told us the story of why she joined Pride@SAP and how it helped her come to terms with her sexuality.

Bowling and pool tournament: We sponsored the event hosted yearly by the Employee Engagement network and helped raise awareness to 250+ attendees. We also bought rainbow-colored t-shirts for them to wear and create a “human flag”.

Quarterly birthday celebrations: Once again, together with the Employee Engagement network, we celebrated LGBTIQ+ Pride Month with some yummy rainbow-themed treats.

#PrideatSAP raffle on social media: We encouraged our colleagues to post their pictures on social media with our hashtag to spread our message and gave the raffle winner a very special prize.

All we have been able to do would never be possible without the most amazing team. So, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank them all for helping the world run better and improve people's lives!

Happy LGBTIQ+ Pride Month everyone! Enjoy the power to be yourselves.