Celebrating Pride

By: Kontoor Brands News Team Jun 18, 2020 Feature Story Tags: Community, Culture, Inclusion and diversity

For more than 50 years, people around the world have commemorated Pride Month in June, celebrating LGBTQ+ culture and supporting LGBTQ+ rights.

Helping to celebrate, promote and advocate for LGBTQ+ employees at Kontoor is the LIFE employee resource group (ERG). This year, like many things, Pride month and the Pride parades that are held in support of the LGBTQ+ community look much different, but the recognition and celebration of LGBTQ+ people and their allies is as important as ever, particularly as we witness worldwide demonstrations in support of racial equalityThe time to speak up and create meaningful change is now.

"As we continue to socially distance and refrain from large public gatherings to combat the spread of COVID-19, our Pride month celebrations will look much different, but it is imperative that we join together to support the LGBTQ+ community and raise awareness about the inequalities that make the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement—both in the past and today—so important," said Don Adamic, Executive Sponsor, LIFE Employee Resource Group and VP, Sales, Kontoor Brands.

To celebrate our LGBTQ+ employees and their allies, LIFE is hosting missions and activities to learn, get involved and celebrate resiliency, community and love. Kicking off with a mission to learn more about the event that started it all, the Stonewall Riots, and ending the month with a virtual PRIDE celebration, Kontoor employees across the globe are showing their Pride and offering ideas on how to continue supporting our LGBTQ+ colleagues and being allies of the community.

In Europe, the Wrangler brand released a limited Pride collection featuring the iconic rainbow– the inspiring internationally recognized symbol of LGBTQ+ pride and equality, and a motif that Wrangler has used since the 1970s. The net profits from sales of the collection will be donated to the LGBT Foundation, a charity dedicated to promoting equality and wellbeing for LGBTQ+ communities since 1975.

“This month we’ve had some important conversations, and it’s been inspiring to see our employees come together to celebrate our different experiences, passions and perspectives,” said Scott Shoener, EVP, Chief Human Resources Officer & Corporate Communications, Kontoor Brands.  “Inclusion is at the heart of our workplace culture, our growth, and our evolution as a company. That’s why celebrating Pride is important to us, and why we are reaffirming our commitment to our LGBTQ+ employees, friends, and community once again alongside our promise to learn and grow together.”

At Kontoor, we are committed to doing our part, within our walls and in our communities, to help end discrimination and to embrace diversity. We look forward to sharing more.