#SEATED: Bumble and LGBTQ+ Filipinos discuss the importance of kindness in online dating in honor of Pride Month

Bumble, the app that started a movement by putting women in charge when dating, has been taking steps to improve the experience of its nonbinary users within the app, showing its commitment to creating an inclusive and kind environment where people of all genders can connect authentically.  This Pride Month, Bumble has partnered with Metro Manila Pride to raise the importance of creating kinder and safer spaces for the LGBTQ+ community.

In recent years, online dating has become essential to the LGBTQ+ community’s pursuit of love, companionship, and support. Ahead of Metro Manila Pride March and Festival on June 24th, Bumble and Metro Manila Pride held their first joint Pride virtual event, #SEATED: Conversations around creating Kinder, Safer, and Stronger online spaces for the LGBTQ+ community together with a diverse panel of LGBTQ+ advocates from all walks of life. The event sparked discussions around what it means to date with kindness in mind, safety in online dating, and ways for allies to continue to foster connections built on mutual respect.

“Beyond celebration, Pride is a continuous movement for the community and allies alike to work toward a future that recognizes and respects the rights of LGBTQIA+ Filipinos. This includes both online and offline spaces, which is why as part of the community and as a long-time volunteer of the organization, Metro Manila Pride and I appreciate companies like Bumble, who genuinely reach out to us as allies to help in amplifying the voices of the LGBTQIA+ community so we can be better heard. ,” said Fats Santos Roxas, one of the leads of Metro Manila Pride, “We hope that through this virtual event, we can kickstart the process of making online spaces a safer and kinder environment for all Filipinos.”

An Inclusive and Welcoming Space

To help the Filipino LGBTQ+ community embrace their authentic selves, Bumble enhanced the member experience for matches with nonbinary people where either person can make the first move on Bumble Date. Women will continue to make the first move in matches with men and, in matches between people of the same gender, either person can make the first move. In 2022, Bumble also introduced an expanded selection of gender options to better provide a space that allows everyone across the gender spectrum to feel safe and seen. Allies, regardless of gender, may also declare their support for the community through Bumble’s LGBTQ+ Rights badge.

“We believe that kindness is the foundation of building authentic and meaningful connections, especially within the LGBTQ+ community. This Pride Month, Bumble aims to contribute to a more inclusive and positive landscape for LGBTQ+ people pursuing love and connection, and we are honored to partner with Metro Manila Pride to bring to life important conversations around Allyship, even if they may feel difficult, unfamiliar, or uncomfortable,” Bumble APAC Communications Director, Lucille McCart said. “By showcasing and promoting the power of kindness when it comes to online dating, we hope to create a ripple effect of compassion and kindness in communities extending far beyond our platform.”

LGBTQ+ Allyship at Bumble, for Pride Month, and Year-Round

Bumble Inc., the parent company of Bumble, Badoo, Fruitz, and Official, is committed to supporting the LGBTQ+ community during Pride month and beyond. As part of its corporate allyship efforts, Bumble Inc. has partnered with the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organization in the United States, to advance its mission of ending discrimination against LGBTQ+ people and promoting fairness and equality for all. Throughout the year, Bumble Inc. will also partner with region-specific organizations throughout the world that are dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ individuals in their communities.

Bumble has previously supported organizations that do important work for LGBTQ+ communities, including Trans Lifeline, Equality Texas, My Sistah’s House, and others. Bumble takes a strong stance against hate speech, transphobic language, and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. In addition, last year Bumble introduced an identity-based hate policy, which prohibits content or behavior that promotes hatred and contempt against marginalized or underrepresented groups with protected attributes. Engaging in identity-based hate, including making a false report, may result in content being removed, an account receiving a warning or being banned from the app.

To learn more about Bumble Inc.’s allyship efforts and the organizations we will partner with throughout the year, please visit our editorial hub The Buzz for more details.

About Bumble app: Bumble, the women-first dating and social networking app, was founded by CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd in 2014. Bumble connects people across dating (Bumble Date), friendship (Bumble BFF), and professional networking (Bumble Bizz). No matter the type of relationship, women make the first move on Bumble. Bumble is built on the importance of equitable relationships and how crucial they are to a healthy, happy life. They’ve built their platform around kindness, respect, and equality – and their community plays an important part in that. Bumble holds its users accountable for their actions and does not allow any form of hate, aggression, or bullying. Bumble is free to download and widely available in the App Store and Google Play.

About Metro Manila Pride Organization: Metro Manila Pride (MMPride) is a volunteer-managed, non-partisan, and not-for-profit organization registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as Metro Manila LGBTQ+ Pride, Inc. Metro Manila Pride educates, equips, and empowers the LGBTQIA+ Filipino and their communities to work toward a future that recognizes and respects the rights of LGBTQIA+ persons to a dignified life without discrimination and prejudice.

*Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and other gender minorities

#Bumble #PrideMonth #LGBTQ+ #rubyspreciousmoments #rubyasoyph

More PH companies recognize and support LGBT+ Diversity and Inclusion Policies

As the world continues its battle against the current pandemic to save lives, thousands of LGBT+ Communities around the globe never falter to fight for its century-aged diversity and inclusion rights. In the Philippines, where policies are still under deliberation, a growing number of locally-based companies have been recognizing and supporting LGBT+ policies as stated in the recent LGBT+ Workplace Inclusion Survey 2021 of The Philippine Financial & Inter-Industry Pride (PFIP).

 

The Philippine Financial & Inter-Industry Pride (PFIP) is a collaborative, voluntary, and non-profit community of practice for equal opportunity employers and inclusive business organizations in the Philippines that started in October 2013 and has over 50 members now across multiple industries, including banking and financial services.

 

“We conducted the LGBT+ Workplace Inclusion Survey 2021 last June and through the help of our partners at the Asian Institute of Management, we’ve come up with an analysis that we hope could help further enhance the LGBT+ policies in the country’s corporate world, as well as enlighten the government system with new policies and laws that will protect the LGBT+ Community,” shared Mr. Chris Eugenio, PFIP Board of Trustee.

 

With more than 100 participants, which include PFIP members and non-members, the LGBT+ Workplace Inclusion Survey 2021 reveals that the majority of 86% of the respondents have anti-discrimination policies on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. The survey also shows that most of them have publicly expressed their support for LGBT+ inclusion.

 

While there’s an increase in inclusive policies, LGBT+ employees, specifically those with same-sex domestic partners still suffer from the lack of adequate ruling on equal benefits in terms of life insurance despite more than half of the respondents considered same-sex domestic partners as immediate family members.

 

The survey also revealed that among the respondents, at least 64% have a variety of leaders who come out as members of the LGBT+ community or as allies and enable diversity and inclusion policies in the workplace serving as role models to employees. They were also identified as the driver of inclusion and are accountable to diversity and inclusion targets. ​While 58% of the respondents have LGBT+ Networks for employees that help in fostering community ties.

 

This data transpired to achieve a higher outcome or more than 80% of the respondents who said that they are offering both diversity and inclusion general training to employees and include topics such as unconscious bias, inclusive leadership, and management training. About 62% of the respondents are offering LGBT+ specific training, while less than half of the respondents offer allyship training.

  

In terms of inclusivity on the technical system, more than half of respondents allow their employees to declare their chosen names and pronouns in systems such as emails and company directory, while exactly half of the respondents have an LGBT+ inclusion strategy driven by data collected over time. This shows the broadening acceptance of various industries in the country wherein LGBT+ members can rightfully identify their chosen name declaration and/or pronoun declaration.

 

The Philippine Financial & Inter-Industry Pride (PFIP) 2021 LGBT+ Workplace Inclusion Survey covers six key facets of inclusivity in companies including (1) Inclusive Policies, (2) Inclusive Benefits, (3) Organizational Support, (4) Technology for Inclusion, (5) Education and Enablement, and (6) Social Responsibility and Thought Lead. 

 

The Philippine Financial & Inter-Industry Pride (PFIP) takes pride in the 2021 LGBT+ Workplace Inclusion Survey as the first of its kind survey done locally that creates a picture of the situation of LGBT+ employees in the corporate set-up across various industries.

 

To know more about The Philippine Financial & Inter-Industry Pride, you may follow PFIP on facebook.com/PFIP.Pride. To request for a copy of the 2021 LGBT+ Workplace Inclusion Survey, email secretariat@pfip.com.ph.

 

Featured photo: (Board of Trustees from left – Weena Ekid, Chris Eugenio, Jeiz Robles, Ronil Villacorta, and Michael Santos)

#ThePhilippineFinancial&Inter-IndustryPride #2021LGBT+WorkplaceInclusionSurvey #rubyspreciousmoments #rubyasoyph