Pantheon Celebrates Pride and Marriage Equality

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At Pantheon, we’ve always been an inclusive team, but this Pride month instead of just throwing a party and rainbowing up the office, we want to publicly announce our commitment to inclusivity and support of the LGBT community.  

For me, this starts with a story set in Kent, Ohio in the summer of 2006. AJ, who identifies as genderqueer, had just graduated with undergraduate degree in Education from Kent State. Their hope was to use that degree to pursue a career in special education. After a long interview process, they landed a job. Their new co-workers said they were excited to have finally filled the position and desperately needed the help. During the first week of work, however, a coworker warned AJ that main supervisor was a known bigot. AJ had never met this supervisor, as she had been out of the office during the interview process. The next week, the supervisor returned to the office. Two weeks later, AJ was called into the head of the organization's office and let go with no explanation.

Ohio does not have anti-discrimination laws that protect LGBT employees statewide, so AJ had no recourse in the face of a seemingly unfair firing. In fact, 29 states in the US still do not have full anti-discrimination laws protecting LGBT people from discrimination in the workplace.

AJ is my partner and we are to be married August 4th of next year. As an employee at Pantheon, I feel proud to be part of a company that I know I can be my full self without fear.

With the Supreme Court ruling for marriage equality announced this morning, Pantheon feels that it is important to take a stand about human rights in the US. The country is at a pivotal moment in regards to human rights and we strongly feel that it is no longer good enough to sit quietly about the issue. While marriage equality is a huge step in the right direction, we still have a long way to go. As a company, we want prospective employees and anyone we work with to know our stance on LGBT rights—that every human, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, or gender expression deserve a voice in our community.  

Working in an environment that celebrates diversity is not only good for individual freedoms but for the culture of our office—and ultimately, the long-term success of our business. I love that the company I work for is clear about its attitude towards equality, and focuses on cultivating a diversity of skills, talents, and experience that will help us and our customers do really cool things in this industry. Our hope, as a team, is that by taking a stand that other companies will follow suit to build a more inclusive, understanding, and compassionate world with us.

Go to pantheon.io/lgbt to find out more about diversity at Pantheon.