The LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group at SPS, with support of Executive Sponsor Lynn Myhran and in collaboration with our HR/Marketing teams, is hosting the first official Pride Month at SPS this year! It is with great excitement that we are able to focus on the history of our community, the intersectionality of identities, and hear from voices of current LGBTQ+ employees!
Pride month is a time to celebrate the joyous lives we live and remember how far LGBTQ+ rights have come. In recent years, our rights movement has paved the way for same-sex marriage to be legalized in the US (June 2015) and as of 2020, LGBTQ+ individuals are protected under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That is to say, it was not until 56 years after the Civil Rights Act was drafted, that it was specifically stated that a LGBTQ+ person cannot be fired simply for being themselves. We hope to share this knowledge and experience with our larger communities, as there are still many laws in place that actively prevent the same rights from being held by Transgender individuals and others in the LGBTQ+ community. There is progress to be had in this country, and around the world for LGBTQ+ Rights.
Events planned for the month include a company-wide Trivia session and the SPS Voices panel where current employees will answer questions and share their experiences as LGBTQ+ individuals. In partnership with the SPS Black Business Resource Group, we will also host Minneapolis City Council Member Andrea Jenkins as a guest speaker! As the first Black transgender woman to be elected to office in the United States, Andrea will offer her unique perspective on the importance of trans voices, intersectionality and systematic racism, and host a Q&A following her presentation.
As we celebrate Pride Month at SPS, we continue to advocate that all LGBTQ+ individuals have equal rights, and continue to feel safe and valued at SPS Commerce.
-Stephanie Soderling, Associate Business Analyst, TPD Team
