On the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, the night in 1969 when a group of gay, lesbian and transgender people stood up to harassment at a bar in New York City, Delta people took the streets with Pride around the globe to represent the airline and the LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning) community.
Pride creates spaces where all are welcome, accepted and embraced for who they are. In partnership with EQUAL, Delta’s LGBTQ+ Business Resource Group, the company is supporting Pride events in Salt Lake City, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Minneapolis, Seattle, London, Atlanta and New York – which also served this year as the first-ever U.S. host city for WorldPride. Ad Age took notice of the Delta/Virgin Atlantic double decker bus floatand Virgin made headlines with a Pride Flight to EWR. Delta also participated in Paris Pride for the first time this year, in partnership with Virgin Atlantic, Air France and KLM.
“I couldn’t be prouder that an environment such as this – celebrating inclusion and equality – is what has brought us together in our first event as extended joint venture partners,” said Shane Spyak, V. P. – Europe, Middle East, Africa and India Sales. “We believe that the diversity of our employees is our strength, and we are proud to create a workplace where all people are treated with dignity and respect.”
To connect the world we have to reflect the world, and the LGBTQ+ community is made up of Delta employees and customers. This month, Delta employees were also highlighted by Pride Life, the largest LGBTQ+ magazine in the US, sharing their favorite LGBTQ-friendly travel destinations in key Delta cities.
Beyond sponsoring parades, Delta advocates for the community by supporting employees, meaningful organizations and LGBTQ+ movements around the globe.
Most recently, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Equality Act – legislation supported by Delta that would provide the same basis protection to LGBTQ+ people as is provided to other protected groups under federal law.
“I think it’s an important time to recognize the progress we have made, but also a good time to talk about the progress we have not made,” said Line Check Pilot and Captain Lane Kranz in an interview with Delta last week. “Although there have been tremendous strides forward for gay & lesbian people, some of the other initials in LGBTQ+ are often forgotten.”
The airline also sponsors groups who are leading the fight, like the Human Rights Campaign, as well as the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination, the National Gay Pilots Association, International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association, and CHRIS 180. It’s one of the reasons Delta was recognized as a “Best Workplace for Diversity” by Fortune for three years in a row.
