The “Welcoming Out” project, supported by the city of Hamburg, was launched just over a year ago with the aim of promoting the acceptance of LGBTIQ+ people. Since the beginning of June, Inditex Germany has also joined the more than 20 patrons – including the Otto Group, Bonprix, Beiersdorf and Hapag-lLoyd.
The company celebrated its first official Pride Day on June 28, international Christopher Street Day. Almost 50 employees from all over Germany were invited to Hamburg to deal with the topics of Pride, Coming Out, Self-Love and LGBTIQ+ in the workplace.
Pavlo Stroblja, founder and CEO of the Heidelberg training and empowerment network Queermentor, gave an insight into current studies and his personal story as the keynote speaker. He also explained why we urgently need to keep talking about Pride and why it’s not about parties and “shrill” individuals, but about a “significant topic that will shape our entire society and future”.
A panel discussion followed with Stroblja and three Inditex colleagues, who shared their personal stories, their process of self-discovery and coming-outs, as well as reporting on individual experiences and dealing with homophobia. Welcoming Out co-founder and CEO Markus Hoppe had the closing word.
“I feel honored and proud to have created such an honest, dynamic and emotional space together with my team. We could practically feel the concentrated power of these strong voices in the air and are pleased that employees from all brands Zara, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Pull & Bear & Zara Home were represented and reflected the diversity of our company,” commented Jessica Marie Sill, responsible for diversity and inclusion at Inditex Germany, in a message on LinkedIn.
In order to spread the message of the initiative, Inditex distributed stickers and pins with the logo of the initiative to its employees nationwide. The Group has a zero-tolerance policy against any form of discrimination and aims to create a supportive work environment.