Times Pride Fest 2023: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Workplace

To embody the true spirit of Pride this Pride Month, the Times Group has kicked off the Times Pride Fest 2023 to appreciate and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. Almost five years have passed since the historic Supreme Court judgement that decriminalized homosexuality in India and although India has come a long way in terms of recognizing the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, there is still further to go.
Due to archaic conventions and societal pressure, parents and families themselves struggle to accept their family members’ authentic identities. As the issues concerning the LGBTQ+ community still remain taboo, members of the community find it hard to fit in and feel welcomed in society and often feel isolated from the rest.
This year the Times Pride Fest 2023 aims to shed light on the greatly neglected issue of the discrimination faced by the LGBTQ+ community in professional spaces. The Right to livelihood is an essential part of our fundamental Right to Life but inherent biases against the LGBTQ+ community lead to an undermining of their potential and qualifications causing them to be underpaid and unappreciated. The LGBTQ+ community in India still has to endure workplace discrimination. They are made to bear the brunt of insensitive or ignorant remarks, homophobic jokes, derogatory comments, and even complete alienation. Fest aims at providing a platform for inspirational voices within the community and highlighting the need for fair and inclusive workspaces.
Times Pride Fest 2023 invited renowned LGBTQ+ activists to discuss the issue of inclusion in the workplace on Tuesday, 20th June at The Lalit, Mumbai. The forum was attended by some of the most prominent faces and allies of the LGBTQ+ community from P&G and Godrej who have been torchbearers in extending their support to their LGBTQ+ staff through practices providing medical benefits to all partners indiscriminately, financial assistance, and parental leaves.
Addressing the importance of fostering a welcoming work culture, Ankur Bhagat added “At P&G, Equality and Inclusion (E&I) has always been the cornerstone of our culture; where equal access and opportunity to learn, grow, succeed, and thrive are available to everyone. In line with this, we focus on creating an equal and inclusive world both inside and outside P&G. Within the company, we bring this to life through our inclusive policies and culture which enable all our people to bring their true authentic selves to the workplace every day.”

The event was also be attended by Akshay Tyagi, Head DEI at The Lalit Group which has spearheaded the cause of establishing LGBTQ-friendly policies within businesses including their own by through unique practices such as Skill Training Programs for Transgender people and introducing all-inclusive washrooms. Also gracing the event with his presence was Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil. As the first openly gay royal in India, he established the Lakshya Trust, a nonprofit organization that focuses on HIV/AIDS prevention, education, and support for marginalized communities. The other dignitaries included Maya Awasthy from Tweet India.Org, an organization dedicated to the upliftment of transgender individuals and Shobhna S. Kumar from Queer Ink, a platform devoted to providing representation to the queer community in media. Each of the panelists gave their valuable insights on how we can take India and the corporate world forward in terms of LGBTQ+ rights. The discussion was moderated by ETNow anchor Sumit Lakhotiya. Together, the panelists talked about the trials and tribulations that the LGBTQ+ community face and how they overcome these challenges to come out on top.
As Ruhie Pande, CHRO at Godrej Capital expressed “Corporations can play a huge part in creating a socio-economic order where all people from society are seen and accepted. At Godrej Capital, we endeavor to do this by recognizing, including and showing respect to people from the LGBTQ+ community.” A televised show featuring this discussion will be aired on 1st July 2023 on Times Now.

Press Meets were organized all across the country, including cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore to provide the cause both regional and national exposure. The objective of these press conferences is to inculcate an accepting mindset in parents. Parents attending these press meets will also be given the opportunity to receive counseling to address their concerns. The press meets scheduled on 26th June in Delhi, on 28th June in Bangalore and on 30th June in Mumbai.
Through these concerted efforts, the Times Pride Fest wishes to make this world a better and more accepting place for the LBTQ+ community. The Times Pride Fest invites the people of our country to look at the rainbow that lies behind the clouds of prejudice with an ultimate goal to make people look beyond labels and the prejudices that come with them and to look at the human underneath it all.