Celebrating pride with #AdobeForAll

Contributed by Stefan Gruenwedel, Managing Editor, Creative Cloud Product Marketing

June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month, a special time to commemorate the histories, contributions and triumphs of the LGBTQ+ community. And this year, the AdobeProud Employee Network took part in a big way, joining together globally—from San Francisco, Seattle, Lehi and New York to Ottawa, Dublin and London—to celebrate and make an impact.

The AdobeProud Employee Network is for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender colleagues and allies, who strive to make Adobe an inclusive workplace for all. Founded on unity, love, and strength, the group works to protect LGBTQ+ rights in the workplace, support each other and engage in community events.

Kelvin Brock, Director, Recurring Revenue Operations, said he is “sincerely proud to work for a company that values the unique life experience that each employee brings to work every day.”

For Shannon Brown, Group Program Manager, having this inclusive environment not only helps employees feel accepted, but allows them to excel in their work. “I want my fellow LGBTQ+ colleagues to know that they are welcome, they have a community here at Adobe that supports them, and they can be out and proud here without concern about an impact on their career.”

Making Moves, Creating Change

AdobeProud makes an impact beyond the office as well. According to David Lauder-Walker, Director, Content Strategy and Operations, Adobe has committed significant resources to support AdobeProud efforts to create change outside the office. This is done through our employees’ engagement with Adobe’s Sustainability and Social Impact (SSI) programs.

By working with SSI, employees volunteer with allied professional groups and advocate for organizations and causes they support. This year we had employees from across the world partner with Encircle Family and Youth Resource Center, Ali Forney Center, and Stonewall, amongst a variety of other organizations.

And while many societies have made great strides toward equality, there is still work to be done. AdobeProud members in cities across the world are playing a key role in this push. Driving real societal change is a major goal for Haider Jasdan, Communications and Employee Engagement Specialist. He said India has “a long way to go” when it comes to driving social, cultural and legal sensitivity around LGBTQ+ inclusion. “The topic of LGBTQ+ has been ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ so far. I wish to break this barrier of bias and make it a part of any other conversation that happens at work,” he said.

Haider is humbled by the recent success of the AdobeProud India Network theater event that engaged over 200 employees across four locations in Bangalore and Noida in constructive dialogue and awareness about the LGBTQ+ community, using theater as an innovative catalyst.

Adobe is extremely proud of our involvement every year, but the success of AdobeProud across the world depends on the passion of those who take part, and we owe that to our amazing employees. “There’s a lot more we could do. All it takes is someone who’s passionate to champion their idea,” David said.

Marching with pride

As a culmination for LGBTQ+ Pride Month this year, we had a record number of participants march in pride parades. Over 700 Adobe employees and their family and friends marched to spread the message of love, unity, equality, diversity and inclusion—everything that #AdobeForAll stands for and more! See below for a look at how we celebrated and visit our Spark page to learn more about what Pride means to us.

Salt Lake City, Utah

PHOTOS BY: CLINT GOUDIE-NICE

San Francisco, California

PHOTOS BY: ALLEN ELLISON