Voicing Our Pride to Thrive
A better world is a more inclusive world, and we’re starting with our workplace
Boeing celebrates LGBTQ+ pride year-round. We recognize our LGBTQ+ teammates, whose global impact continues to transform Boeing and aerospace. And we voice our pride in standing alongside the LGBTQ+ community, acknowledging the progress made in the ongoing pursuit of LGBTQ+ equality and the work still needed to improve. Whether on the anniversary of the Stonewall riot, during Pride Month or any other day of the year, we are committed to eliminating barriers to equity and inclusion so that every employee can grow, thrive and be embraced for exactly who they are.
The LGBTQ+ community spans cultures, races, ethnicities, abilities and genders, and we are constantly looking for how best we can advance equity and create a more inclusive environment for our LGBTQ+ teammates and their allies worldwide.
Creating a Workplace Where Everyone Can Thrive
At Boeing, we’re committed to ensuring an inclusive environment for employees of all backgrounds and identities, and we are a proud supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, both inside the workplace and outside our walls.
To help advance inclusion at Boeing, early in 2021, we expanded options for teammates to voluntarily self-identify their gender identity and sexual orientation in our human resources information system. There is no default identity at Boeing, as we hope that U.S.-based employees will continue to confidentially self-ID. This will help us to better understand and support our diverse workforce. As of June 1, we also expanded our benefits eligibility to domestic partners of U.S. employees.
To help create a safe space for Boeing employees to grow and thrive exactly as they are, we also offer benefits to facilitate gender transitions for employees or their dependents as they transition from their assigned birth gender to the gender with which they identify. In partnership with Human Resources and the Global Equity, Diversity & Inclusion team, our teammates create a Gender Transition Plan, which outlines the timeline and milestones for the employee’s transition. We also provide Gender Transition Guidelines to managers, Human Resources and transitioning employees so our teams have consistent guidance throughout the transition.
In addition, we’re committed to driving out discrimination and confronting bias so that every teammate feels valued, respected and inspired to reach their full potential at Boeing. We recently launched an internal program, Seek, Speak & Listen, to empower employees to seek out diverse perspectives, speak up about bias or other issues, and listen to understand one another. Together, we will continue to advance equity, diversity and inclusion within Boeing and beyond.
Employee-Led Groups Drive LGBTQ+ Inclusion and Allyship
The Boeing Employees Pride Alliance (BEPA) is our longest-running employee-led Business Resource Group as well as one of our largest. In 2021, BEPA will extend its global reach, launching new chapters in Australia, Europe and India.
BEPA’s 19 chapters connect thousands of LGBTQ+ teammates and allies to provide personal and professional development and networking opportunities for their members, creating a forum where teammates motivate and mentor one another and continuously advocate for LGBTQ+ issues that affect our workforce. Local chapters also promote activities that raise awareness for the LGBTQ+ community and increase the number of allies at all levels at Boeing.
The Boeing Employees Transgender Alliance (BETA), a subset of BEPA, provides support for the transgender community. And in August 2020, employees created a new community group, Boeing Employees with Transgender Family Members (BETFaM), to create a safe space for Boeing employees to discuss unique challenges facing their transgender child or spouse and to provide education, resources and support within a group of people with shared experiences.
LGBTQ+ employees and allies making a difference across Boeing
Jacky-Vy Chau
Named 2020 Asian American Most Promising Engineer of the Year by the Chinese Institute of Engineers – USA, Jacky-Vy shares how feeling like an outsider shaped his life, career and advocacy.
Read Jacky-Vy's Story
Nicolette Gan
As a Boeing research engineer and STEM advocate, Nicolette is breaking ground in designing future technologies and encouraging LGBTQ+ students to pursue careers in STEM.
Read Nicolette's Story
Syed Jawad
Jawad speaks up in his job leading the team designing the aircraft doors for the next Air Force One. His courage to speak up has played a role in his LGBTQ+ journey as well.
Read Jawad's Story
Crystal Nicholson
A former firefighter, Crystal shares her work toward diversity in Boeing’s fire service, the Boeing Employees Pride Alliance and Boeing’s Racial Equity Task Force.
Read Crystal's Story
Marvi Matos Rodriguez
From working in her mother’s lab in Puerto Rico to leading Design Practices for Boeing Engineering and championing her LGBTQ+ family, Marvi embraces breaking stereotypes.
Read Marvi's Story
Aro Royston
Aro, a graphic artist and member of Boeing’s Racial Equity Task Force, describes how his gender transition was “going into the unknown” to become fully himself.
Read Aro's Story
Supporting LGBTQ+ Organizations and Allies Where We Live and Work
Since 2018, Boeing has hosted the Out & Equal Workplace Summit in Washington, D.C., which brings attendees together from all over the world to connect and discuss workplace advocacy for LGBTQ+ employees.
In 2019, Boeing made a $100,000 donation to The Trevor Project, a nonprofit organization that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ+ youth ages 13-24. As part of Boeing’s partnership with The Trevor Project, Boeing Human Resources hosted training with employees to help them detect and respond to suicide risk among LGBTQ+ youth.
The company continues to support the LGBTQ+ community and offers resources and opportunities to help employees extend our impact. Boeing’s 2020 employee gift match to LGBTQ+ organizations totaled $18,000.
From Bonsai to BEPA, Boeing’s Inclusion Journey
In 1989, a group of employees formed the Boeing Bonsai Club, a covert club for LGBTQ+ employees seeking support and camaraderie. The group sought official recognition in the late 1980s, but their application was denied. They welcomed members to the Bonsai Club until company policies changed to make Boeing a more welcoming and inclusive place.
Decades later, the Boeing Bonsai Club grew into the largest employee-led Business Resource Group at Boeing, the Boeing Employees Pride Alliance, which connects thousands of employees in 19 chapters to foster a safe, inclusive and supportive environment for LGBTQ+ employees; increase the number of allies at all levels at Boeing; and advocate for LGBTQ+ issues that affect our workforce.
Today, Boeing continues to support the LGBTQ+ community and strengthen inclusion to empower every teammate to reach their full potential.
Show Your Pride
We are better because of our LGBTQ+ communities. Boeing celebrates Pride worldwide with the 2021 Pride Collection. The design takes flight and inspiration using Boeing defense, space and commercial airplane icons paired with rainbow colors representing the spectrum of diversity. With our BEPA and Global Equity, Diversity & Inclusion partners, this year we designed a virtual background that includes all the colors of the current LGBTQ+ flag. Our Pride Collection is made for everyone, everywhere.
Download the 2021 Pride virtual background/wallpaper >
Share your Pride using #PrideWorldWide and #BoeingStore.
