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Disney shareholders have rejected a proposal that would require it to withdraw from a corporate equality index. According to its website, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI) is intended to uphold LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion through its benchmarking tool that measures “corporate policies, practices, and benefits pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) employees.” “For 22 years, the CEI has served as corporate America’s roadmap for LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion—not as a political statement, but as a framework for building stronger, more competitive businesses where all talent can thrive,” Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson said in a statement shared in its 2025 CEI report. She later added, “The path forward requires courage, commitment, and clarity of purpose. We will continue to serve as a partner on this journey. Together, we’re building not just better workplaces, but a stronger, more competitive, and more...
Amazon has updated its company policy and a section of its website that provides employment information, removing language that ensures protection for Black and LGBTQ+ employees. In late December 2024, the company removed statements supporting and advocating for transgender rights protections as well as expressing “solidarity” with Black employees and customers, according to The Washington Post. Amazon also removed language supporting laws to address misconduct and racial bias in policing, initiatives to protect and expand voting rights , and efforts to promote better health and educational opportunities for Black people. The sections titled “Equity for Black People” and “LGBTQ+ Rights” no longer exist in the company’s policy, along with all references to the term “transgender.” The “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” section now states that “inequitable treatment of anyone — including Black people, LGBTQ+ people, Asians, women, and others — is unacceptable.” A page once titled...
AFROTECH™ Conference 2024 in Houston, TX, was packed with powerful conversations, spotlighting trailblazers across tech, business, and culture. Day 3 of the four-day conference, which wrapped on Nov. 16, 2024, featured several dynamic discussions, including a fireside chat with actress, activist, and tech entrepreneur Angelica Ross . The “Pose” actress led an inspiring talk on creating access and opportunities for LGBTQIA+ talent in tech. Photo Credit: Benjamin Esakof “Unfortunately, what happens is America loves symbols of change and not real change. So they will pluck a few of us out of obscurity and make it look like change is happening. And now everybody who’s trans can kind of live this great life,” Ross shared. “But what you realize is, for the most part, celebrity separates us from reaching it. It no longer seems as accessible. So I have to model from my own experience and with TransTech that I’m someone who became successful. I also have to teeter this line to show what it...
Here’s something to toast to! In a new partnership, EFFEN Vodka joins forces with Allies in Arts to create an official 2021 Pride 365 Bottle. According to PR Newswire, the bottle is a celebration of Pride, not only during Pride Month but year-round, and is the company’s commitment to building a more inclusive world. Street muralist and LGBTQQIA2S artist, Sam Kirk, has been commissioned to design the bottle which will celebrate Black and LGBTQQIA2S communities and spotlights each day as a new chance to live loud, vibrant, and proud. View this post on Instagram A post shared by EFFEN vodka (@effenvodka) “We’re huge fans of Sam’s work and thrilled with how the Pride 365 bottle came out,” said I van Hidalgo , Senior Marketing Director of Regional Brands at Beam Suntory in an official news statement. “There’s no doubting the immense obstacles and barriers the LGBTQQIA2S and Black communities continue to face, and we are honored to join forces with Allies in Arts and Sam to create the...
Education at HBCUs extends far beyond the classroom, and Morehouse College is no different. This week, the historically Black college received a generous gift to the student body and faculty from Morehouse alumnus George Wells, of the Wells Group, in the form of a $1 million art collection. “I will always be grateful for my Morehouse education and the springboard it created for my career on Wall Street and in business, and I want to recognize that with this gift,” Wells said in a press statement for Black Enterprise. According to Black Enterprise, in 2018 Wells began his art collection with his husband, Manfred Ratner, which has now grown to include over 50 pieces of artwork from both rising and established artists. The purpose of building this collection was for Wells to be able to reflect on prominent paintings from Black and LGBTQ artists that speak to representation in their communities and educate his alma mater on cultural identity, social, and political critiques. “Owning...
In an effort to provide safety for women and the LGBTQ+ community, one Black woman-owned rideshare app was launched in the south. Atlanta native Kiersten Harris grew up on the southside of the city and has always been committed to the betterment of her community. The 22-year-old entrepreneur is now the co-founder and CEO of what’s said to be the first female-friendly rideshare app in the south , HERide, according to Reckon. “Our motto is ‘Choose to be unbothered,’” said Harris in an interview with Reckon. “We wanted to create a platform for women to feel safe and welcome. Our drivers and passengers come first. Here’s how you can stay safe during this time of COVID-19. Stay updated by following @CDCgov for tips and updates. If you are showing symptoms please inform a medical professional. pic.twitter.com/ss1rE79bAj — HERide™️ App (@getheride) March 15, 2020 On top of providing safe, reliable transportation for members of the LGBTQ+ community and women, Harris had the vision to create...
In the past, YouTube has faced a lot of backlash from LGBTQ community members and creators. There have been concerns around the platform automatically demonetizing LGBTQ conten t and placing unfair age restrictions on videos. Last month, controversy arose again after YouTube allowed videos containing homophobic slurs targeting Vox journalist, Carlos Maza, to remain on the site. CEO Susan Wojcicki issued a lukewarm apology to the LGBTQ community for the decision but continued to stand by it. Now, it seems LGBTQ YouTubers have had enough. A group of creators — including Brett Somers, Lindsay Amer, Chris Knight, Celso Dulay, Cameron Stiehl, Chrissy Chambers, and Chase Ross — sued YouTube and its parent company, Google, claiming that YouTube discriminates against their content. In addition, part of the suit’s complaint claims that YouTube doesn’t enforce its policies evenly. Instead, producers with large audiences are given passes, even if their content is homophobic or transphobic....
Recently, YouTube has come under scrutiny for its failure to remove videos containing homophobic language. The issue originally arose after Vox reporter Carlos Maza tweeted about ongoing harassment from Steven Crowder. In his Twitter thread, Maza included a video compilation of Crowder making homophobic comments like calling Maza a “lispy queer.” YouTube originally responded via its own Twitter account stating that “while we found language that was clearly hurtful, the videos as posted don’t violate our policies.” Since then, YouTube has demonetized Crowder’s account and CEO Susan Wojcicki attempted to issue an apology to the LGBTQ+ Community . Now, Google is stepping in. Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai sent out an internal email promising that YouTube is taking a “hard look” at its harassment policies. The email, obtained by The Verge , also stated that the company will consult “many groups, including people who have themselves experienced harassment.” “It was important for me to hear...
Google announced today that it will be removing a controversial “conversion therapy” app from its store after pressure from civil rights groups. Google was suddenly willing to cooperate on the same day of losing an endorsement from a top LGBTQ rights group over its failure to pull a conversion therapy app. The app in question is Living Hope Ministries, and it can no longer be found in Google’s store, as confirmed by TechCrunch and Axios . The controversy around the app came early on. Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft all removed the app from their own platforms after Truth Wins Out, an organization opposing conversion therapy, launched their own petition. Then, it became the subject of a Change.org petition with over 142,000 signatures urging Google to remove it. Previously, Google maintained that the app didn’t violate its Play Store terms of service. Now, Google reportedly told Axios, “After consulting with outside advocacy groups, reviewing our policies, and making sure we had a...
Every year, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) —an LGBTQ civil rights group —publishes a corporate equality index rating companies on how well they treat LGBTQ people. Typically, Google scores high on the list and receives a 100 percent rating , until now. HRC has made the decision to suspend Google from its 2019 corporate equality index after the company failed to remove a conversion therapy app. In footnotes of the report, HRC wrote that it had become aware of an app distributed in the Google Play Store supporting the practice of conversion therapy. HRC went on to say: “Such practices have been rejected by every mainstream medical and mental health organization for decades. Minors are especially vulnerable, and conversion therapy can lead to depression, anxiety, drug use, homelessness, and suicide. Pending remedial steps by the company to address this app that can cause harm to the LGBTQ community the CEI rating is suspended.” — Human Rights Campaign The app, called Living Hope...
On Thursday, New York City Councilman Ritchie Torres plans to introduce a bill that will include LGBT-owned businesses in the city’s certification program, The Wall Street Journal reported. Currently, New York City’s Department of Small Businesses Services’ Division of Economic and Financial Opportunity certifies businesses owned by women and minorities. The program helps promote equity by giving them access to government contracts, according to NYC Business . The new bill will ask the department to do the same for businesses owned by LGBT people, so they can also benefit from the program. Torres, who represents the Bronx, said without this bill, LGBT businesses are missing out on opportunities. “Even though the LGBT community creates immense economic activity to the city, and the city is known as the bastion of LGBTQ equality, there’s no certification that recognizes LGBTQ business as part of the diversity of the marketplace,” Torres said, according to the Wall Street Journal. To...
Despite recent efforts by major tech players and startups to fill their boards with diversity officers and create specific programs in order to increase hires of individuals who are typically disparaged, the dearth of minorities in the space — both at the C-Suite and throughout different levels — is still prevalent. Nationwide, tech executives spanning the top tiers of management throughout an organization are estimated to be roughly 83 percent white and 80 percent male. Even beyond the racial and gender employment gap, recent research revealed that LGBT candidates for tech jobs earn less than their straight counterparts . In fact, an additional report from advocacy organization StartOut, found that LGBT entrepreneurs also have more difficulty raising venture capital. As a founding member of a blockchain tech company, these stats greatly disturb me. However, as a black, gay man in 2018 America, that number does not shock me. A chat with any CEO in Silicon Valley (or a simple Google...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. Often, those who rank in seniority get to speak for the broader community. How long does that work though, and how long should it last? It’s a question that comes up whenever someone of a previous generation is asked to speak or is seen as a representative during a current crisis a community is facing. AFROTECH™ previously reported that after Target rolled back its commitments to DEI, the retail store has seen a decline in foot traffic for the past 10 weeks. Target was one of the brands that, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in 2020, put a lot of time and money towards pushing for racial justice and diversity, equity, and inclusion across the board. After the decline, The New York Post reported that Target CEO Brian Cornell met with Reverend Al Sharpton about its DEI policies, but should Sharpton be the one speaking for us? Sharpton came to prominence during the 1970s with his focus on...