Our Commitment to LGBTQIA+ Allyship & Advocacy

This June, I will be taking time to celebrate and honor the LGBTQIA+ community by reflecting on what it means to me to be an Ally—in my personal life and as a J&J leader and Executive Sponsor of our global Employee Resource Group, Open&Out.

While the past year has been a struggle for many individuals and communities, it has been particularly challenging for the LGBTQIA+ community, with trans murders increasing by 100% and over 127 anti-transgender bills moving through state legislatures. In recent months, new policies under the Affordable Care Act have been introduced to combat discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community, specifically in healthcare. Johnson & Johnson recently signed on to the Human Rights Campaign’s Business Statement on Anti-LGBTQ State Legislation as these bills are damaging to employees, families, communities, businesses, and the U.S. economy. While I am encouraged by the sweeping reforms in progress, there is still work to do. That’s what Allyship is all about, and why it’s so critically important to me.

At J&J, we celebrate and support our LGBTQIA+ colleagues and communities during Pride Month, and every day, honoring the authentic expression of sexual orientation and gender identity. To support our LGBTQIA+ colleagues and help raise awareness about issues in the workplace and beyond, we create space for everyone to be themselves by encouraging honest, open, and educational conversations about both the challenges in the LGBTQIA+ community and the opportunities for all of us to do more.

Many years ago, I started volunteering with The Trevor Project, an organization that provides crisis and suicide prevention services, where I learned that LGBTQIA+ youth contemplate suicide at almost three times the rate of their heterosexual peers. I listened as they shared their stories of feeling unsafe in their schools, worksites, and homes—places where most of us look for security and connection.

That experience opened my eyes to the pain and loneliness that are far too common among the LGBTQIA+ community. It inspires my commitment to advocate for LGBTQIA+ employees at J&J and it’s why I’m proud of the work we’ve done through our Open&Out (O&O) Employee Resource Group, which allows our colleagues to be true to who they are and feel safe and empowered at J&J. Through O&O, I’m honored to champion respect, equality, and care for a growing network of nearly 5,000 LGBTQIA+ professionals and Allies across our operating companies around the world.

Allyship means taking individual action but also working collectively to support others. It is individual in the sense that we must each take action and do so in a way that respects the individual identity and dignity of each person. The LGBTQIA+ community is beautiful and diverse—it’s made up of unique individuals, each with their own story, identity, orientation, experience, and needs.

Although I’ve been an Ally for many years, I’m still learning, reflecting, and listening. Through these collective experiences, being an Ally has helped shape who I am today, both professionally and personally. Part of this journey means acknowledging uncomfortable truths. I know that my experience, even as an Ally, is not the same as that of my LGBTQIA+ colleagues. I know that there may be many friends, colleagues, and neighbors who understandably have safety concerns when out in public or can’t always comfortably express the gender identity that reflects how they feel inside.

Despite the tremendous progress in the LGBTQIA+ fight for equality and rights, our journey continues. As we celebrate Pride Month, we remain committed to making equality everywhere a reality, and I understand the important role that the healthcare community must play in helping to achieve this. I celebrate the resilience and power of my LGBTQIA+ colleagues, friends, and family, and I encourage you to take a moment during this Pride Month to reflect on what being an Ally means to you, and then advocate and show your support each and every day.

Happy Pride Month. Stay safe and healthy.