How India Inc is turning Pride into a powerful case for inclusivity

June, widely celebrated as Pride Month, is a time to honour and uplift the LGBTQ+ community, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity and acceptance across all facets of society. In recent years, the movement has evolved beyond mere expressions of support, with a growing emphasis on sustainable inclusivity. This period also presents a topical opportunity for brands to showcase their support and benefit from the increased engagement.

This involves not just symbolic gestures like changing logos to rainbow colors for a month, but actively embracing the LGBTQ+ community as valued consumers and integral members of society.
However, the true measure of progress lies in whether this support is sustained beyond June. Are brands and society genuinely committed to integrating the LGBTQ+ community as valued consumers and members or is this heightened awareness just a temporary gesture for engagement’s sake? Adgully reached out to brands to understand their strategies.

Beyond Pride Month: How brands are actively including LGBTQIA+ individuals as part of its consumer or target audience circle

Hema Pachisia, Senior Director HRBP and Head of ED&I at Myntra, shared insights into their proactive approach. She said, “Myntra actively includes LGBTQ+ individuals as part of our consumer and target audience circle through various initiatives. We have gender-supportive policies, including same-sex insurance coverage, support for gender affirmation surgeries, and inclusive leave policies. Our Employee Resource Group offers a safe space for employees to connect and share experiences.”

Pachisia continued, “During Pride Month last year, we celebrated with awareness sessions and events like the Rainbow Bazaar and Pride Zone, showcasing LGBTQ+ talents and promoting allyship. Partnering with Pride Circle, we curated a fusion of fashion, beauty, and pride, featuring fashion-forward products, handmade jewelry, and artistic expressions by LGBTQ+ artists.”

She added, “Understanding the significance of allyship and open conversations in the workplace, we took a step further by inviting Ashish Chopra and his mother, Simmi Nanda, to share their journey of coming out and acceptance, fostering allyship among our Myntraites.”

Pachisia also mentioned, “We’ve implemented initiatives like the Employee Well-being and Assistance Programme, providing counseling and support for LGBTQAI+ employees and their families. Our inclusive medical insurance and parental policies cover surrogacy, adoption, egg freezing, and gender reassignment surgeries. Additionally, we’ve developed a training module on ‘Unconscious Bias in Hiring Practices’ for our people managers, addressing biases and providing strategies to overcome them.”

Manmeet Sandhu, Chief People Officer, PhonePe, commented, “PhonePe’s policies are meticulously crafted to ensure inclusivity and support for all individuals, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation.”

• Gender reassignment surgery covering up to Rs.3 lakh per family. Post surgery support for gender reassignment surgery if the amount is not exhausted
• Medical & critical illness insurance coverage for all including same sex partners
• Hormonal therapy expenses covered up to 10% of the family sum insured opted by employee
• Parental Leave & Benefits Policy applies to adoptive mothers/parents including same sex partners

Varadharaju Janardhanan, VP – HR, Flipkart, highlighted their customer-centric approach, stating, "We have taken significant steps to ensure that our environment is welcoming and supportive of our LGBTQAI+ community. Our 'Pride Collective Employee Resource Group' plays a pivotal role in this effort - by providing a safe space for employees to speak openly, gain feedback for enhancing our policies, and identifying growth opportunities, while ensuring that all voices are heard and respected. Another example is the 'Circle of Change', which is a monthly connect hosted by our Pride Collective ERG, and offers a platform for LGBTQAI+ employees to share, listen and support each other.”

Janardhanan added, “We have developed a dedicated training module for our people managers on ‘Unconscious Bias in Hiring Practices,’ which addresses potential biases at various hiring stages and provides strategies to overcome them. At Flipkart, we understand that collaboration among diverse employees goes beyond policies and initiatives. In this regard, we have been hosting sensitization sessions, virtual panel discussions and workshops on LGBTQAI+ issues and allyship."

LGBTQIA+ Inclusivity: Steps taken by brands and the impact of Pride Month initiatives

Anukool Kumar, Marketing Director, Tinder India, underscored their core values of inclusivity and authenticity. He spoke about queer narratives and initiatives taken by Tinder like the Museum of Queer Swipe Stories and LetsTalkGender.in spearheaded by experts and organizations that work in this space such as Gaysi Family creating safe spaces for dating exploration. Their Queer Made Weekend fosters LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurship and partnerships, amplified by collaborations with brands like ELF Cosmetics and Instax. This Pride Month, they launched the Queer Dating Starter Pack and new profile stickers designed by LGBTQIA+ staff for authentic self-expression and connection.

Ruchika Malhan Varma, Chief Marketing, Customer & Impact Officer, Future Generali India Insurance, shared the company’s initiatives for Pride Month and LGBTQIA+ inclusivity. She said, “We’ve been celebrating Pride Month for two years with engaging events and office parades across India. We’ve hosted eminent personalities like LGBTQIA+ icon Sushant Divgikar and Dr. Trintera Halder, Karnataka's first trans-woman doctor, for interactive sessions, panel discussions, and workshops.”

This year, the company is expanding its Pride celebrations beyond the workplace. They’re hosting an exclusive screening of “BE-LOVED”, a production by Tamaasha Theatre exploring queer love through theatre, music, poetry, and movement. This initiative aims to foster a sense of belonging and allyship, inviting both the LGBTQ+ community and allies to show solidarity.

Myntra’s Hema Pachisia added here, “This Pride Month, we’re excited to honour our community and allies with engaging events. We’ll host “Ek Madhav Baug”, a play by Mona Ambegaonkar depicting self-acceptance. Employees can become better allies through our weekly LinkedIn Learning modules. We also have three trivia contests focusing on LGBTQ+ policies and inclusion. Employees can update their preferred pronouns, and we promote allyship through recommendations. Our celebrations include a Pride Photo Booth and showcasing Pride Collections on TrendNxt for customers.”

“Our commitment goes beyond campaigns, encouraging inclusivity and setting industry benchmarks like Anouk’s pioneering campaign,” she added.