Apple invites employees to participate in San Francisco’s annual LGBT Pride Parade

SF Pride (logo 001)

San Francisco is many things to many people. To us, geeks, the city is synonymous with hot technology startups that challenge the status quo and strive to change the world. But if you’re a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT), San Francisco has a much deeper and more personal meaning as it’s home to some of the most vibrant LGBT community on the planet.

Because Apple has always pushed for equality in workplace, it’s really no surprise that the leadership team is encouraging its employees to march in the annual San Francisco LGBT Pride Parade

As reported by Zac Hall of 9to5Mac, an internal memo distributed internally has confirmed that any employee wishing to represent the fruity company at San Francisco’s annual LGBT pride parade next month, along with their family members, will be treated to company-provided breakfast and T-shirts at a base camp for registered attendees.

Apple is a workplace with zero tolerance to abuse stemming from a person’s sexual preference, color or creed.

This starts at the CEO level.

Back in December 2013, for example, Apple’s boss Tim Cook pulled for LGBT rights during his Auburn Lifetime Achievement Award speech.

“In addition to finding a company and a founder unlike any other, I found at Apple a company that deeply believed in advancing humanity through its products and through the equality of all of its employees,” he told the crowd.

“Now much has changed since my early days at Apple, but these values, which are at the very heart of our company, remain the same.”

He then issued an open letter urging Congress to approve Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) and penned an editorial in The Wall Street Journal pushing the effort, here’s an excerpt.

As we see it, embracing people’s individuality is a matter of basic human dignity and civil rights. It also turns out to be great for the creativity that drives our business. We’ve found that when people feel valued for who they are, they have the comfort and confidence to do the best work of their lives.

Apple’s anti-discrimination policy goes beyond the legal protections U.S. workers currently enjoy under federal law, most notably because we prohibit discrimination against Apple’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees. A bill now before the U.S. Senate would update those employment laws, at long last, to protect workers against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The CEO, himself a very private person, last month took to Twitter to voice his own personal support for the legislation, urging the House to “mark the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act by passing ENDA”.