5 Companies Revolutionizing What It Means To Be LGBTQIA++-Inclusive

It’s Coming Out Day — which means all us LGBTQIA++ people get to flaunt our flags, clap as others come out, and reminisce about the times we were so deeply in the closet it’s honestly comical how gay we turned out (aka, my exact experience). When I began my coming out journey, it was exclusively about figuring out who and how I love and learning about my deepest self. As I grew up, left school, and dove headfirst into the workforce, I realized that being queer is a whole lot more than rainbows and parades. It’s about navigating discrimination, saying "my other half" instead of "my girlfriend" to avoid awkward confrontations, and laughing along to jokes in interviews about how one day I’ll find a husband.

Luckily though, not every workplace is like this. In fact, there are quite a few companies that are not only accepting of the LGBTQIA++ community, but committed to championing our ideas and continuing the fight for equality. Ahead are a few of the companies that have the most compelling queer-focused programs — aka places you might want to shoot a resume to ASAP.

Seeing how big it is, it’s not surprising that Google has both a diversity and inclusion sector and LGBTQIA++ specific programming. In fact, they literally have a group galled “Gayglers,” which I’m gonna go ahead and call cute, if a bit kitschy. The group is in charge of company Pride celebrations across the world and has the ability to weigh in on company policy. Plus, according to Glassdoor, the company culture is liberal and the paychecks are high — and I’m all about queer people getting those dollars.

Yes, you read that right, the highest intelligence agency in the land is gay-friendly. As a kid, I absolutely wanted to be a spy, so learning that they have a group dedicated to supporting the LGBTQIA++ community both in and outside of the agency truly warms my heart. In fact, the group, which is called ANGLE (Agency Network for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Officers and Allies), has hundreds of members — including some pretty senior people. Heck yeah, CIA.

Turns out, IKEA is more than just a spot for sleek affordable furniture and clandestine games of hide and seek, they are also known for their commitment to diversity. More than half of their staff is made up of minorities and they co-created a UN Standard of Conduct that addresses LGBTQIA++ discrimination in the workplace.

I’m not sure why I was surprised that Coca-Cola is so LGBTQIA++ friendly, but I was and wow, they are. Not only have they been publicly championing LGBTQIA++ rights for 15+ years, their health insurance covers gender-confirming surgery and according to their website, they assist with “the costs of taxes imposed on eligible U.S. employees whose same-sex spouse or partner was enrolled in health benefits and who lived in states that did not recognize same-sex marriage.” Okay then, Coca-Cola!

Not only is this hotel chain publicly committed to diversity hires, they were also the first major hotel company to offer domestic partnership benefits to queer couples. Both sexual orientation and gender identity are in their Equal Employment Opportunity policy and their health insurance is trans-inclusive. Most importantly, they’ve been championing LGBTQIA++ rights since before it was commercially advantageous.