How Does Apple Support The LGBTQ Community?
The fans of technology come in all identities, preferences, genders, and shapes. The main factor that brings everyone together is the love of gizmos and gadgets. People celebrate the LGBTQ community with Pride in June. This is the period when everyone shares their tales of love, flags fly high, and there are pride parades on the roads. Celebrating acceptance and diversity is not something that should only be celebrated during a certain time of the year. Inclusivity and diversity are created in a culture with a steady commitment to supporting the cause. The way Apple supports LGTBQ says a lot about the firm's commitment to the cause. It has a CEO who is openly gay and also launches an annual special edition Pride Apple Watch bands. Apple talks about the inclusivity and diversity of the entire LGBTQ community and takes regular actions to back up its words. Apple supports LGBTQ in the workplace and during the Pride parades.
It commits itself to employee networks, workers' rights, and more. A large number of employees of the firm are able to connect using the Diversity Network Associations. These support groups led by employees lead to bolstering a culture of belonging through networking, leadership programs, and education. More than 20,000 employees of the firm belong to groups such as Women@Apple, Pride@Apple, Black@Apple, and more. There are also a wide variety of faith-based groups. Besides the workforce of the firm, it is also applauded for its commitment to diversity. Apple supports LGBTQ comprehensively and has received a full score each year on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index for nearly two decades. Right now, there are several firms that get full marks in the report.
But the firm has been at the top of this list for the past couple of decades when less than ten percent of the Corporate Equality Index firms had policies regarding non-discrimination in place for identities related to gender. None had health care benefits that were inclusive of transgender people. The firm also takes part in the Pride parades held every year. They walk the entire route of the parade with a banner that shows its rainbow logo. Apple supports LGBTQ by allowing more than a hundred employees to participate in these marches each year. The initial Apple Watch Pride Edition band was a giveaway to the employees who took part in the Pride Parade held in San Francisco nearly six years ago. It was not even present for public sale till a year earlier. Right now, the Pride Edition Apple Watch bands are very famous, with a couple of new ones released each year. Over the past four years, the firm has also developed Pride watch faces for Apple Watch. There have been more rainbow-themed customizations for the Gradient, California, Numeral Duo, and Numerals Mono watch faces this year.
How Does Apple Support LGBTQ Through Donations?
Apple supports LGBTQ by donating to community organizations regularly. A few years ago, the CEO of the firm got the GLSEN Champion award for the commitment of the firm to fight for the rights of the LGBTQ community. In the previous year, the firm joined more than two hundred other firms to fight for the rights of workers from the LGBTQ community at the US Supreme Court. These firms have committed themselves to develop workplaces with transgender, bisexual, gay, and lesbian employees. It aims to give them the chance to earn a living, grow in their respective professions, and also give to their families without any fear of unequal or unfair treatment in the workplace.
Tim Cook said, "I am grateful to GLSEN for this honor and their work to ensure the LGBTQ community is treated with dignity and respect. At Apple, our commitment to inclusion helps us do our best work each day. Innovation depends on openness to new ideas, a culture of curiosity, and a climate free from shame and stigma — that's true not only true for Apple, I believe it's true for everyone."
How Does Apple Support LGBTQ by Lobbying Against the LGBTQ Bill?
A few months ago, Apple and nearly forty other firms signed a letter addressed to the Human Rights Commission that opposed the anti-LGBTQ bill introduced in some states. The bill threatens to take away medical care, support, and rights for members of the LGBTQ community. The firm is slowly mobilizing its huge resources to campaign against the anti-LGBTQ bill propping up across the nation. It is not common to see such a push by one of the most valuable firms. This is because it can entangle them in a probable political debate. The firm's CEO is the most visible gay executive in the entire country. He has sent his lobbyists to oppose the bill that restricts the protection for gay and trans individuals or their families in nearly nine states, including Texas, Florida, and Iowa. The legal, government affairs, and communications offices have given their opposition to several of the bills. The firm is working with advocacy groups and policymakers to chalk out strategies. It is filing court briefs in several cases that involve LGBTQ rights.
The firm is also leading some wider corporate pushback against the bill. The firm executives have encouraged other big firms to oppose the bill publicly. It is debated that the bill promotes discrimination and looks to harm the youth of the LGBTQ community. The senior director of corporate communications of the company has pressed some leaders of huge firms to give their opposition to an order by the Governor of Texas that called for investigations related to child abuse against parents and guardians who give transgender kids gender-affirming care without the approval of doctors.
The opposition to the bill has political implications for the firm, as Republicans have started to criticize the firm's stance regarding the bill. Several of the party members in Iowa have said that the firm should not continue to get subsidies from the state as it is opposing the bills that are banning trans girls from taking part in high school sports based on the identity of their gender. But the stance is also noteworthy because the firm has often not actively taken on the political spotlight. The firm also does not have any political action committee or make any donations for campaigns. It has a smaller presence in federal lobbying than its big tech rivals. Also, it does not take part in the news media on issues related to policy.
The senior vice president of training, research, and programs at the LGBTQ rights firm Human Rights Campaign, Jay Brown, said, "It's not just states where they have a headquarters. It states where its customers are, which is all across the country. It is significant in terms of staff time and resources." Apple Senior Director of Corporate Communications Fred Sainz said, "I'm reaching out from Apple because we're hoping you'll join us and lend your company's name to a critical issue. Apple has joined the effort and will lend its name and logo. I'm reaching out because we are hoping you will too." Republican Iowa state senator Zach Nunn said, "Apple framed the law as part of a 'social agenda' rather than fairness for women's sports. That becomes a concerning issue when a major industry attempts to force public policy based on an agenda they may have in a boardroom out of state."
Conclusion
Apple supports LGBTQ throughout the entire year and especially during June. It is a crucial time for the entire community because it is the time to celebrate everything unique about the people in the community. Apple supports LGBTQ and maintains the ideology of diversity within the community. Apple is proud to say that it has Pride.
