Diversity in technology: celebrating the pride month

“Drag queens” are someone who, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, create an alter ego that exhibits feminine characteristics. The elaboration goes through creative make-up and wigs, and her performance is dramatic, caricatured, aiming to challenge gender norms and social expectations.

Despite being an art that has been gaining space nowadays, the term origin is marked by prejudice and discrimination. The first recorded use was in 1870, to refer to actors (men) who dressed as women in the old theater. From the eighteenth century onwards, Drag came to refer to men who dressed as women not necessarily for theatrical purposes. The verb refer to the long skirts worn at the time, which dragged along the floor.

Also, it is worth mentioning that “drag” became known as an acronym for “DRessed As a Girl”, in which Shakespeare would have been responsible for its popularization. That’s because the author made notes in his plays to indicate which ones would be the female roles (“Dr.A.G.”). As for “queen”, its origin comes from the slang term “quean”, pronounced as “queen”, which was used to refer to prostitutes of the time.

Historically, drag queens have played a very important role in Stonewall Riots, a riot that happen on June 28, 1969, which gave birth to the official LGBTQIA+ pride day. The riot came when clients of the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, decided to no longer tolerate police abuse, confroting officers during a raid. In the act, objects were thrown at the vehicles, and rumors that Drag Sylvia Rivera was the person responsible for starting the fight.

“The corporate world has a stereotype, which does not open room for social and gender issues. Being beside these “patterns” causes suffering, and having people who have understand and work together, helps to change this scenario” – Isis, psychologist at Dignity Group.

Pride: the LGBTQIA+ community

The Stonewall riot has become a symbol of LGBTQIA+ fight. The act of resistance to oppression and persecution gave rise to a sense of pride and collective identity, reinforcing the struggle for equal rights.

Despite the progress in the gain of rights, the community still has many challenges ahead. Among the numerous causes for prejudice, there are misinformation and beliefs in stereotyped views, which should be stopped whenever possible.

The LGBTQIA+ community represents gender and sexuality diversity. These concepts represent two different things, even if they are often mistakenly used as a synonym. The first is the person’s perception of themselves as female, male, or non-binary, regardless of biological sex. The second, on the other hand, are the different forms of affective and sexual attraction of a person. These definitions were published in the LGBTI+ Communication Handbook (2022), which is a reference in the use of various terms to refer to several sexual orientations:

Asexual: It is the individual who does not feel any sexual attraction, either for the opposite sex/gender or for the same sex/gender;
Bisexual: It is the person who has an affective and sexual relationship with people of both genders/sexes;
Homosexual: It is the person who is sexually, emotionally or affectively attracted to people of the same sex/gender;
Pansexual: It is an orientation that specifically rejects the notion of two genders and even specific sexual orientation;

According to IBGE data (2022), about 12% of the Brazilian population declares itself as an integral part of the community, that is, approximately 19 million people. Despite the big number, in the labor market only 2% of companies workforce is composed of homosexuals, in which trans professionals do not reach 1%. These data were disclosed in the study “Diversity, Representativeness and Perception” (2022), carried out by the Multisectoral Census of Kairos Management.

Diversity in Technology: Creating an Inclusive Future

To solve this issue, the increase of inclusion in companies is a topic that has been worked on with great emphasis in recent years. The subject consists of items 8 and 10 – reduction of inequality and decent work and economic growth – of the 17 UN sustainable goals.

A work environment can be considered inclusive when all people are treated fairly, with equal opportunities. This includes be a part of all functions and corporate levels, not just entry-level positions. Culturally speaking, this scenario brings the possibility for these individuals to manifest their authenticity, feel welcomed and provide the same treatment to others.

Several minority groups must be taken into account when talking about diversity, including ethnic, religious, sexual orientation and gender identity minorities and PWDs. Within the area of Technology, the situation of inclusion of these groups is a little more complicated. According to studies conducted by Google Brazil (2021), about 36% of IT professionals believe that their area is the least diverse. As a result of the historical context, the challenges and obstacles for each group in this area may vary, according to several markers, they are:

LGBTQIA+: Effeminate gays, queers, and lesbians suffer from stigmas of fragility or disability. Trans people, on the other hand, suffer from less possibilities for right education;
Women: Women in I.T. suffer from low representation, especially in leadership. In addition, their ability is put in check in their day-to-day work;
Black people: Resistance of others groups among affirmative actions that help in the hiring and permanence process of these individuals at work;
PWDs: Despite advances in technology and inclusion, these people are hired with no prospect of professional growth;

“Being diverse is a very complex issue, we think ‘what is diversity?’, a skin tone is diversity, and people end up not understanding that we are all diverse” – Antonio, ST-One Operations team

Productivity and inclusion as supplementary

Recognize the social distance that separates these groups is the first step towards change. Having a diverse team is a consequence of the market change, as consumers tend to prefer brands that are lined up with their ideals. A study by McKinsey (2018) showed that organizations with greater gender and ethnicity diversity are more likely to outperform their competitors financially. According to the survey, greater diversity in teams guarantees 21% better performance than others.

In addition to the performance profit, working in a diverse environment brings creative advantages. According to Época magazine (2024), “professionals with a ‘pro-LGBT’ stance tend to have more characteristics related to creativity, such as open-mindedness, greater willingness to take risks, and a more diverse background. On the other hand, those with a discriminatory attitude tend to be more conservative”.

This fact is beneficial because the different experiences are a direct reflection of society, causing greater identification for customers and users. These professionals are more connected to the public’s pains, which leads to more direct communication. Also, the ideas are more cohesive, bringing more effective solutions that make more sense in different scenarios. Finally, the team goes through a skill improvement, through the plurality of realities and the exchange of daily experiences.

Diversity also contributes to interpersonal relationships. That’s because, although sociocultural differences in groups can cause conflicts, as a response employees have the opportunity to improve communication and manage crises. All of these aspects result in more innovation and diverse solutions that meet all kinds of needs.

“This scenario [of prejudice] changes precisely because of the occupation of space. The prejudice is there, each one with their own bubble, and it continues because of the discomfort of leaving the comfort zone to respect someone. But over time, we see more LGBTQIA+ people proudly saying, ‘we are extremely capable’, and against facts there are no arguments” – Antonio, ST-One Operations team

Innovative startups, as a benchmark in diversity

The concepts of diversity, equity and inclusion – as already presented – relate to DE&I practices, which are encompassed in ESG strategies. As part of this, company laws were implemented in order to reduce this discrepancy between these groups. An example is the Quota Law (No. 8,213), which since 1991 obliges companies to fill 2% to 5% of their positions with PWDs. Currently, this is only valid for organizations with more than 100 employees, but it is already an initiative towards the change of reality.

This urge to organize programs and initiatives about diversity is already bringing good results. A survey by Gupy (2021) – a startup specializing in recruitment – revealed that 10% of the total vacancies advertised on the platform were “inclusive”, exclusive to such participants. Of these vacancies, a little more than a third (37.5%) were exclusively for LGBTQIA+ professionals.

On the other hand, in the I.T. sector, its historical context of creation, full of stigmas, makes this process a little more difficult. Mistakenly, this area was developed as a male environment, where minorities such as women and LGBTs are seen as fragile for such a technical area. Because of this, it is necessary for companies to make this inclusion in a structured way, equally empowering historically excluded groups.

Startups are more active in this participation, precisely because they are intrinsically linked to innovation, which happens from the plurality of ideas. These companies are known for their agility and adaptability to new scenarios, playing an important role as agents of transformation and positive impact on society. According to Abstartups (Brazilian Association of Startups, 2021), of the 13 thousand startups in the country, 3.9% have homosexual founders, 1.5% bisexual, and 0.1% transgender. Also, 41% of startups have female founders and 35% black or brown people.

“To have your diversity recognized and respected gives you much more freedom to find solutions, for the safe space to admit fragility or ask for help. It even improves in the creativity, as it is possible to establish relationships with your colleagues, and of course this increases productivity.” – Paulo, Tech team at ST-One

This fight can’t stop

In addition to the effort of organizations at the hiring step, like with affirmative vacancies for minority groups, the focus should also be on retaining these employees. It is important to create ways that promote formal participation in work processes over informal aspects. Aa an example, to reinforce the presence and interaction of these groups in meetings, instead of passing on information at lunches and one-off events. The longevity also happens through the hiring of leaders who cause some kind of identification in the team.

According to Google Brazil (2021), these are the 5 pillars that must be followed to leverage diversity in business:

Easier access: Remove elements such as English from the prerequisite category and place it in the training package;
Engage employees: Diversity and inclusion are everyone’s responsibility;
Fight prejudice: investing in internal training focused on inclusion, production of good manner materials and activities for leaders;
Talk about the advantages of DE&I: Clearly communicate the benefits and importance of diversity to the organization, such as earnings and certificates;
Establish processes and policies: establish processes, goals, and policies (such as childcare and psychological support) to go beyond the paper;

Finally, organizations can work together with projects focused on hiring and empowering people belonging to minority groups. As an example, there is Transempregos, which aims to insert trans people into the labor market and fight homophobia. There is also the All in Tech program, which trains women to work in the technology area.

“It’s important to look at diversity since the beginning. When we bring diverse people into the organization, we also acquire diverse ways of thinking, which contributes to growth.” – Larissa, ST-One’s people team

ST-One and the fight for diversity

ST-One is #TOP1 in the LGBTQIA+ Entrepreneurship ranking in Brazil, and believes that celebrating diversity inspires people to dive into the world of innovation.

To show that technology a place of everyone, ST-One take actions to celebrate Pride Month and give the right importance to the theme. In 2023, the campaign was carried out in partnership with the city of Curitiba and Hotel Social Eilat. The hotel is the first in the state to offer social accommodation for trans women and transvestites in vulnerable situations. The space has 20 vacancies and offers 24-hour reception. According to the city hall, the service for this public came from the demand for a safe environment, due to the difficulty of welcoming in places with cis men. From this, ST-One raised funds, with the contribution of the company and employees, that were converted into beauty kits for these residents.

For this year, the action was a debate circle – carried out by psychologists from the Dignity Group – to discuss important themes about Pride Month. Key points about the LGBTQIA+ community were discussed, such as history, explanations about the acronym and the current scenario in Brazil. Strategies to improve experiences in the labor market in terms of diversity were also brought to light. All this had the aim to give visibility to the theme, answering questions and contributing to a more prepared and engaged scenario, which values respect and inclusion. Learn more about us.

“It was great to have this space here at ST-One to talk to people, highlighting this topic. Even with many activities, you blocked the agenda to make this moment, and this shows that it’s not just a money issue, it’s about making people feel heard.” – Isis, psychologist at Dignity Group