Pride Season is a vibrant time of year, filled with celebration, reflection, and renewed commitment to equality. At SUSE, we believe in fostering a truly inclusive environment, and our participation in Pride activities goes beyond recognition. It’s something that we’ve always taken part in since our Pride employee resource group was founded, and we celebrate because it’s a fundamental part of our culture and values.

Why celebrating Pride matters to SUSE

Pride isn’t just a parade or a series of events; it’s a powerful statement about our belief in diversity and the strength it brings to our global community. Here’s why we champion Pride:

• Reflecting Our Values: Celebrating Pride allows us to demonstrate these values and ensure that our LGBTQ+ people feel a sense of belonging, and that our allies can visibly show their support.
• Empowering Our People: We want all of our people to bring their authentic selves to work, whether LGBTQ+ or not. By actively supporting the LGBTQ+ community, we want to create a safe, supportive, and empowering workplace where everyone can thrive.
• Driving Innovation: When we embrace and celebrate the unique experiences and backgrounds of our people, we unlock a more dynamic and forward-thinking organization.
• Building a Stronger Community: By engaging in Pride events and advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, we contribute to building a more accepting and equitable society for everyone.

Global and local Pride celebrations at SUSE

This year, we focused on people-led celebrations across the world, asking for volunteers from our Pride network to organize in-person events in our global offices. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and we’ve brought together lots of our people to celebrate. The best part of these events is that they’re locally led, and feel relevant and exciting to the people in these countries and communities, ranging from tens to hundreds.  

In Brazil, we held our first ever Pride event, a coffee in our Sao Paolo office. Leo Souza, who organized the event, said that it gave our people a safe space to share their stories and learn more about allyship.

Meanwhile, at one of our virtual events where Katy Fant shared her story of life as a trans woman with Kia Ewing-Linker, our attendees were moved by Katy’s story, and how she refuses to let bigotry get in her way. One person said “I can’t thank you both enough for your openness, honesty and love. Also, a big thank you to everyone who shared! This was absolutely one of my  favorite sessions. I’m honored to have a gay daughter and I can’t love her more for who she is and what she stands for!”

In Singapore, our team hosted an event titled “All Pride, No Prejudice” where they learned about famous LGBTQ+ people and their contributions to society, making it fun with a game of charades. Paul Englert, who was one of the event organizers, said that “For many it was an education. For everyone it was a great time.”

As well as in-person events, we wanted to give space to LGBTQ+ voices, both internally and externally. As a majority remote workforce,  we brought in external speakers such as George Evans and Robin Riley to share their stories, and gave our people a safe space to do the same. It’s been inspiring to see how people feel safe to be honest and authentic, and how our audiences have responded. 

Our year-round commitment to diversity and inclusion

Our commitment to inclusivity and supporting the LGBTQ+ community remains year-round. We will continue to champion diversity, foster an equitable workplace, and advocate for a workplace where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. At SUSE, every day is an opportunity to live our values and build a more inclusive future, together.

Join a Company That Celebrates Diversity – Explore careers at SUSE and be part of a workplace that champions inclusion, innovation, and Pride all year round.