The presence of corporate sponsorship was prevalent. Queer employees of companies such as Macy’s, Starbucks, Microsoft, and Orbitz Travel held large banners of their employers as they marched in the parade.

“The corporate sponsorship is very hypocritical to me because they don’t really support their queer workers. They just put them on the street once a year to make the corporation look good. Being queer-friendly is also being worker-friendly,” said Stephanie Adler, a student labor activist and queer worker. “Supporting queer workers is giving them time off from work, supporting same-sex adoption, and condemning job discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender expression.”

I completely reject the implication that these companies don’t support their LGBTQ employees or our community at large.

I work for one of these companies and apart from my company funding many Pride month activities, we do get time off from work to care for our same-sex partners and our families, we also receive adoption benefits and paternity or maternity leave just like opposite-sex couples, and the company has very clear policies in place to prevent workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity and expression.

In fact, my employer has publicly supported LGBTQ anti-discrimination legislation at both the state and federal level and they are supporters of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and the Tax Equity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act, currently before congress, which would mandate fair and equal workplace and taxation treatment for LGBTQ employees.

That sounds like a company who is walking the walk and not just talking the talk.

If you were to ask Seattle Out and Proud, the organization that runs the Pride Parade, I think they would tell you that Corporate Sponsorship is absolutely essential for the Pride Parade to be a reality. At a time when many companies are making painful cuts to remain viable, I’d like to thank the corporations who showed their commitment to our community and contributed to make the Pride Parade a reality in this difficult year.

Allow me to extend an invitation to anyone interested in understanding and advancing LGBTQ workplace equality to join Out & Equal Seattle, the local affiliate of a national LGBTQ workplace advocacy organization, whose mission is to educate and empower organizations, human resource professionals, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and individual employees through programs and services that result in equal policies, opportunities, practices, and benefits in the workplace regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, expression, or characteristics.

The employees of Macy’s, Starbucks, Microsoft and Orbitz Travel and many other organizations here in the northwest who are active in Out & Equal’s Seattle affiliate would be happy to talk about our work and progress on workplace equality.