Celebrating Pride
Victoria’s Secret & Co. is proud to stand with the LGBTQIA+ community this month, and every month. We also recognize the current moment in history this group is facing. June is a time when our company reflects on those who have fought to help make space for others, which is why over the next few weeks we’ll be highlighting some very special people who are leading by example.
For us, celebrating Pride is rooted in our internal celebrations with our associates. Through the month of June, Evolve – our IRG for LGBTQIA+ associates and their allies – is planning a number of activities for all home office associates focused on education and advocacy including speaker events, panel discussions and conversation circles on legislation, how to advocate for transgender youth, supportive parenting, gender identity and more.
Evolve’s mission is to create an open and inclusive environment for associates to build relationships, develop their careers and support each other within Victoria’s Secret & Co. and the broader community. They support events and activations including Pride month education and awareness, participation in the Columbus Pride parade, AIDS Walk Ohio, hosting lunch and learns, networking sessions and opportunities to directly impact the business through focus groups.
United by a shared mission of advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, we continue to partner with Point Foundation to provide scholarships that benefit LGBTQIA+ college students pursuing law with a $200,000 donation and continuous volunteering and involvement throughout the year. So far, our partnership to date has funded 100 scholarships through their BIPOC scholarship program, five community college scholarships and four 4-year school scholarships.
Also launching on May 17, Victoria’s Secret and PINK will be using their products and platforms to celebrate Pride through the theme of “Proud To Be.” Victoria’s Secret and PINK will each highlight some very special people from this community who are leading by example. In addition, PINK will also celebrate Pride through a vibrant campaign featuring a variety of associates, campus reps and talent from the LGBTQIA+ community. PINK will further their partnership and ongoing support of Campus Pride through a $200,000 donation to support their efforts in creating safer and more inclusive environments for LGBTQIA+ students.
As we celebrate Pride as a time to reflect on those who have fought to help make space for others, we can’t ignore the recent efforts by lawmakers to infuse anti-LGBTQIA+ policy into law across the country.
As an organization, we firmly stand against this and all legislation that does not align with our values of fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are taking the following actions:
- VS&Co has joined businesses across the U.S. in calling for public leaders to abandon or oppose efforts to enact anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation and ensure fairness for all Americans by signing theFreedom for All Americans Business Statement.
- In response to open and honest feedback from associates, our IT and HR partners are working to enable preferred names versus legal names into our HR systems.
- We are expanding our partnership withThe Point Foundation through a $200,000 donation to support LGBTQIA+ college students whose pursuit of an education in law can help combat oppression and erasure of LGBTQIA+ people and culture.
We are continuing to explore how we can continue to fight legislation, give back to our communities, and authentically represent the community in our product and marketing efforts in the U.S. and internationally.