Microsoft releases the Xbox Pride controller and donates to LGBTQIA+ charities as part of the worldwide celebration of Pride.

by Team Iamsafeatwork

03-07-2023

Safety

Pride at Microsoft is a global grassroots organisation developed with and for LGBTQIA+ workers. Since it is Microsoft goal to empower everyone and every organisation on the earth, Microsoft see it as our duty to strive for more LGBTQIA+ visibility, equity, and equality. Microsoft do this every day, not just during Pride.

From a few hundred workers marching in Seattle, to connecting with billions of Microsoft customers every year, Microsoft efforts to support and advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community have increased.

The LGBTQIA+ movements’ intersectionality across racial, cultural, and geographic boundaries is the focus of Microsoft Pride. It draws attention to the interrelated difficulties LGBTQIA+ people experience and advocates for a coordinated international response through stories, goods, and metaverse activities. We’re making a global donation of $170,000 to LGBTQIA+ NGOs to commemorate the beginning of our campaign. Additionally, Microsoft and its employees have given $8 million since last year.

Microsoft is eager to support LGBTQIA+ voices throughout the year, not just around Pride. Microsoft Unlocked, a brand-new digital hub for tales from the heart and spirit of invention, launched today. The focus of the Microsoft initial edition is pride.

Everyone is invited to participate in the experimental “Pride has no borders” metaverse event hosted by Microsoft’s LGBTQIA+ community in 2022. Take part in Pride in VR. Discover how LGBTQIA+ communities at Microsoft, Team Xbox, and organisations like the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA World) and OutRight Action International are working to advance LGBTQIA+ rights in virtual worlds. Get lost in some Pride history in a metaverse setting. Learn how Microsoft can span boundaries and create a more inclusive society.

More than 120 countries are where Microsoft does business, many of which still do not offer legal protection to LGBTQIA+ people and even limit or confine LGBTQIA+ identities.

Members of the Global LGBTQIA+ Employee and Allies at Microsoft Employee Resource Group (GLEAM) considered the intersectionality of LGBTQIA+ communities when deciding on this year’s Pride theme. They also focused on the experiences of LGBTQIA+ Black and African American, Asian, Indigenous, Hispanic and Latinx people from around the world and drew attention to the interconnectedness of the global challenges we all face.