Pride Month Celebrations Focus on Awareness and Education
“No one deserves to be hurt for who they are.”
Celebrity Makeup Artist and Founder of Mally Beauty, Mally Roncal shared her experience as a long-time ally of the LGBTQ+ community during Qurate Retail Group’s Pride Month celebration. In a special episode of QVC’s digital series, “Getting Real,” Mally opened up about what Pride Month means to her as the proud mother of her daughter Sophie who is a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
“Pride Month is a time for education, and a time for you to open up your mind, and your energy, and your spirits,” said Mally. “This is about love, this is about acceptance, and this is about celebrating your people and celebrating each other for who we are.”
Sharing Mally’s story is just one of the ways we marked this important month. Our Small Business Spotlight has been featuring 10 LGBTQ+ owned businesses on air and on our digital platforms throughout the month. QVC US, HSN, and Zulily also celebrated with special Pride Month product collections, including brands from vendors in the LGBTQ+ community. In addition, Qurate Retail Group’s LGBTQ+ Team Member Resource Groups held speaker events and shared personal stories to educate team members and spread awareness about the significance and history of Pride month.
Qurate Retail Group hosted a fireside chat for team members with Delaware State Senator Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender state senator in the country and highest-ranking transgender official in United States history. Sarah spoke about her journey as a transgender woman and politician and being an activist for her state and the LGBTQ+ community.
“There is still so much work that’s left to do and ultimately the story of Pride, and what we commemorate during Pride Month, is the recognition that the fight for equality is never over,” said Sarah. “There is always more we can do to include people who are cast into the shadows of the margins.”
David Gerbitz, Qurate Retail Group Chief People Officer, spoke during a fireside chat about his personal experience as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, his career path, and the importance of creating an inclusive, welcoming environment for all team members.
“I think one of the most important things that senior leaders can do is build a diverse and representative workforce,” said David. “There’s a very operational component to all of this, which is to make sure that we are building very diverse pipelines, very strategic external relationships, and that we care about and are mindful of our workforce in that way.”
QVC Japan held a series of three online seminars featuring speakers who discussed their experiences as members of and advocates for, the LGBTQ+ community. QVC UK invited transgender couple and activists Jake and Hannah Graf to speak to team members about their personal transition journeys and raising awareness of trans issues.
Additionally, Qurate Retail Group made a donation to The Trevor Project to support crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ+ youth.
To learn more about our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, please visit our diversity, equity, and inclusion page.