Originally, the last Sunday in June was slated as Gay Pride Day to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City, which became the turning point for the gay liberation movement in the U.S. As time passed, this single day turned into an entire month, filled with parades, memorials, parties, workshops, symposia and concerts.

Today, Pride month helps celebrate and memorialize the critically important work that went into demanding LGBTQ rights, which weren’t granted 50 years ago. It’s a month to recognize, celebrate and advocate for the LGBTQ community, which is a critical part of embracing diversity, equity and inclusion at Black & Veatch.

Why should companies embrace Pride? Black & Veatch believes that supporting the LGBTQ community is critical year-round because it demonstrates to all employees that they are respected and supported. Building this community has driven positive change, breaking down barriers and making the community more accessible to all professionals. Every employee deserves the opportunity to be seen and heard, to feel empowered and accepted and included.

Earlier this year, Black & Veatch announced that it had received a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) for the third consecutive year, cementing its designation as a “Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality.” The CEI ranks companies across four central pillars: non-discrimination policies, equitable benefits for LGBTQ workers and their families, support of an inclusive culture, and corporate social responsibility.

The company’s Pride employee resource group (ERG) has been a critical driver in kicking off the entire DE&I movement. The Pride ERG has also been instrumental in creating other ERGs and building teamwork to address the needs of marginalized, overlooked and underappreciated groups of professionals. The Pride ERG can also offer professionals in-house resources and answers; for example, if a family member comes out, or a child comes to a professional with questions, the group can help that individual respond in an educated, appropriate way.

But although progress continues to be made, we must acknowledge that change isn’t easy and there will always be some resistance to overcome. But in today’s rapidly evolving social climate, it’s not enough to just announce support for the LGBTQ community. Given the levels of rising conflict, it is critical for professionals to be drivers of change, and to advocate for their LGBTQ colleagues and their rights.

To help further DE&I at Black & Veatch, education must evolve past why it's important, to how professionals can take action. And this applies to everything – racial injustice, ethnic injustice, religious intolerance. Rather than simply standing by, silent, Black & Veatch encourages its professionals to advocate for their LGBTQ colleagues. This means educating professionals and providing the necessary support, tools and confidence to not just silently stand by, but to actively address an issue should one arise. This could be as simple as becoming an efficient recorder or intervener, able to actively witness and record an incident before taking it to HR.

Companies can also revise their management and supervisor training to recognize the importance of pronouns and gender use. This means communicating that professionals must accept someone’s pronouns without pushing back to better include non-binary and non-conforming persons.

If an employee transitions, only refer them by their gender identity and never reveal it to third parties. A professional should never – under any circumstances – reveal a transgender or non-binary person’s former gender to a client without that person’s permission.

Some aggressive actions are simply not acceptable, such as mis-gendering a transgender or non-binary person or using a transgender or non-binary person’s former name without that person’s consent. This is known as “deadnaming” someone, i.e., using a name that is “dead.” These issues can tie to a lack of education and can be addressed through supervisor training.

Embracing DE&I across all pillars will only deliver great things for this company. Addressing bigotry and resistance head-on, and advocating for LGBTQ colleagues, will help demonstrate to all professionals that they are supported and appreciated at Black & Veatch.

Embracing diversity sends a message to the global community that Black & Veatch is a dynamic organization that embraces all its people, and benefits from the great diversity of their thoughts and experiences. Breaking down divisions in engineering and helping to improve equity will help all professionals execute to the best of their ability in a safe space, allowing them to rise to the occasion without fear or concern.