Glow Up, Show Up, Lift Up!

June is an important time for our LGBTQ+ community. What began as a major catalyst for the gay rights movement—the 1969 Stonewall Riots—has evolved to Pride Month, a time of reflection, education and celebration in the US and across the world.

This year, it can feel hard to celebrate when we are facing so many challenges – the global pandemic, racial and social injustice, and growing political hostility toward our LGBTQ+ community. That’s why the power of our communities and allies is needed now more than ever, to increase visibility, amplify voices, and put advocacy into action.

Pride is a time to recognize the progress we’ve made for LGBTQ+ rights and equality and commit ourselves to continuing that progress until everyone is free from oppression and discrimination. Pride is also a time to celebrate the diversity of our communities and the transformative power of being who you are, loving who you love, and sharing that with the world unapologetically.

Pride through the years

Here at Adobe, one of the things I’m most proud of is our long history of supporting the LGBTQ+ community. Back when Adobe was founded in 1982, Adobe employee #8 was an out, gay man named Andy Shore. In many ways, inclusion was built into our DNA because of Andy.

Over the years, our LGBTQ+ colleagues’ call for equal benefits and protections at work led to meaningful changes at Adobe. Our partnership with leadership has enacted policies, granted benefits, and built a culture of advocacy, including sponsorship of Pride celebrations and parades. With this support, our community has grown to 30+ Pride sites across the globe with 950+ members and built the strong sense of belonging we have today.

Through it all, the passion, commitment and contributions of employees have been at the heart of our Adobe’s evolution. We’ve built an employee network, Pride at Adobe, that raises awareness, advocates for change, supports our larger communities, and continues the legacy Andy helped start almost 40 years ago.

Glow Up, Show Up, Lift Up!

As the executive sponsor of Pride at Adobe, I’m proud to have the opportunity to influence and lead programs that amplify diverse LBGTQ+ voices and advocate for equality. It’s energizing to be part of the month-long Pride events we have organized under theme Glow Up, Show Up, and Lift Up! to inspire and engage all of Adobe. These events give all Adobe employees the opportunity to:

Glow up by celebrating global performers, LGBTQ+ colleagues and allies while dancing, lip syncing and connecting at our Pride Month Celebration
Show up to listen, learn and put advocacy in action through discussions with Campaign for Southern Equality and Transgender Law Center, as well as hosting events featuring active trans service members from SPART*A, a spoken word performance from Paul Tran (they/them), and an all-abilities workout with Erica Nix (she/they) & Rocky Lane (he/him)
Lift up our communities by raising funds for various LGBTQ+ charities with a live, virtual baking challenge featuring various members of Adobe’s leadership team

Sharing our pride with creators

All month long, we’re bringing Adobe’s commitment to Creativity for All to life with various external campaigns to support, amplify and celebrate LGBTQ+ creators.

In partnership with GLAAD, we’re hosting Create Change discussions to amplify the work of LGBTQ+ talent including Hunter Schafer, Wanda Sykes, Bob the Drag Queen, Christian Cowan and others. Learn more.

We are partnering with LGBTQ+ influencers to create special edition Pride Packs, with custom-made graphics and slogans for our community to show their support on social channels through the hashtag #CreateWithPride. We’ll also feature inspiring LGBTQ+ creators and their stories with a special edition of our social media series #WomenCreateWednesday.

Aligned with our Adobe For All vision, we honor Pride Month as we look beyond today’s struggles, envision a more just and inclusive society, and support each other as we strive for change.

Together, let’s glow up, show up and lift up!