Global nonprofit Pride Wide has told businesses how they can unlock untapped potential in talent, customers and governance through partnering with the LGBTQIA+ community.

Pride Wide, an NGO specialising in storytelling and engagement to improve LGBTIQA+ lives around the world, provided the insights as it launched its corporate partnership program.

The nonprofit’s partnership program, “Pride Widening”, helps partners to stop seeing LGBTQIA+ people as a tickbox or policy problem to be solved. Instead it identifies and opens up the potential that businesses have for growth and improvements in culture and sustainability if they engage wholeheartedly and authentically with the community.

Tris Reid-Smith, co-founder and CEO of Pride Wide, addressed around 100 business and community leaders and supporters at a launch for Pride Wide’s partnership program, on Thursday [30 May 2024].

He said: “There are over 802 million LGBTQIA+ people in the world today and the good news is that, tomorrow, there will be another 48,000 more.

“We know that eight out of ten young LGBTQIA+ people entering the workforce think they won’t reach the top of their organisation if they are open about themselves. We know that over half of all young people are more likely to choose to be customers of a business that embraces equality. And we know that eight out of 17 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals relate to our work in the LGBTQIA+ community.

“Pride Widening helps you recognise the opportunities, have the conversations and drive the culture that will not only help our community but grow the value of your business. Our storytelling and engagement approach is the antidote to ridiculous ‘anti-woke’ culture wars. Working together we can move forward, united, to the future we are all aspiring to.”

Introducing Tris, member of the UK House of Lords and leading LGBTQIA+ campaigner Baroness [Liz] Barker, emphasised the urgent need for Pride Wide.

She called on business and community leaders to regain “narrative power”, recognising that people who oppose LGBTQIA+ rights are often defining the media and political agenda.

The Baroness said: “I want all of you to think, not about how we won the battles, great though they were, since the 1960s. But how do we now communicate, in an increasingly diverse and fractured communications environment, to become as smart and unified as our enemies are?”

The launch was kindly hosted by leading international law firm Reed Smith at its headquarters in the City of London.

Nicholas Walker, Reed Smith partner, told the audience: “Reed Smith are utterly thrilled to be partnering with Pride Wide to host tonight’s event. We’ve been deeply impressed by the incredible things that they have already achieved to change the tone of the media conversation about the issues that matter to our community.”

The Pride Widening partnership program is delivered by Pride Wide CIC, a nonprofit community interest company. Proceeds from Pride Wide CIC’s activities fund the charitable activities of Pride Wide Trust which is dedicated to creating a world where all LGBTQIA+ people are free, equal, visible, included, healthy and happy.

Pride Wide Trust is a charity registered in England and Wales, 1208890. Pride Wide CIC is a nonprofit Community Interest Company registered in England and Wales, 14575546.