On this International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, Biphobia and Intersexphobia; created in 2004 to draw attention to the violence and discrimination experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and all other people with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities or expressions, and sex characteristics – Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co.) joins the World Health Organization in commemorating and declassifying homosexuality and gender expression as a mental disorder.
Equality and nondiscrimination in our workplace are core values to LS&Co. and integral to how we do business. Moreso, we’re continuously working to further our culture of inclusion and belonging, where every employee feels heard; ensuring they’ll be seen and valued for being their trustiest selves both in and outside of our workplace.
We’ve been advocating for the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community for nearly three decades – from integrating our factories in the south before it became law to extending health benefits to unmarried domestic partners in 1992. In fact, we were the first Fortune 500 company to do so.
At LS&Co., we’re expanding our global Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), which include our LGBTQIA+ ERGs Unlabeled in Europe, Inside Out in the U.S., and a new one that will launch this year in Asia called Be You. These ERGs help create safe spaces for our employees and foster authentic and meaningful connections. To recognize the day, our ERGs will lead important discussions with our employees globally to educate us on queer history, while sharing stories of their lived experiences and ways we can all become better allies.
Our Continued Commitment
We’ve recently completed our first Global Self Identification (GSID) campaign, adding two new categories of sexual orientation and gender identity – important data that will allow us to better tailor programs and benefits (mental health included) for our LGBTQIA+ identifying employees.
While we’re proud to be part of the progress toward equality, we recognize there’s more work to be done. We continue to be relentless in our efforts to ensure our company is a place where everyone feels a sense of belonging and can bring their whole authentic self to work.
Learn more about the progress we’re making to advance equality at LS&Co.
