Move with Pride
During Pride Month—and every month—we believe that everyone has the right to move freely, safely, and without fear.
We’re dedicated to supporting our community to live an open and authentic life, to love whomever and however they want, and to feel empowered to speak their truth.
Our mission
As part of our mission to reimagine the way the world moves for the better, Uber is committed to providing a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community:
What we stand for
Careers
Uber is best when it combines diverse voices and opinions. We’re committed to inclusive hiring practices and providing development opportunities for all employees, including LGBTQIA+ individuals.
Community
We’re creating a global community—both within Uber and across our cities—that empowers LGBTQIA+ individuals to participate more actively in society and facilitates access to flexible economic opportunities for everyone.
Commerce
We advise the business on the impact of its initiatives and strategies relative to the LGBTQIA+ community.
Culture
We’re acting as a resource for LGBTQIA+ individuals and their allies, with the intention to increase visibility, understanding, and belonging at Uber.
“Pride at Uber is committed to making significant impact for LGBTQIA+ people around the world. I’m inspired by the actions that the group is taking to create more inclusive experiences for our employees and the communities we serve.”
Tony West Executive sponsor, SVP, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary
Eric Steensen
Regional Greenlight Manager, US & Canada West Field Operations
Eric is a Regional Manager for Uber’s in-person support centers, or Greenlight Hubs, in the Western region of the United States and Canada. Over the past 4.5 years, he has participated in the ERG at different levels, from helping coordinate local pride activations in Portland, OR to leading remote ERG participation and engagement for our Greenlight and COE employees before taking on the role of Global Co-Chair. Eric currently lives in West Hollywood, CA with his Golden Retriever, Miles, and fills his time participating in local LGBTQIA+ groups and chapters, including the HRC and EQCA. When not busy with work or friends, Eric spends his time dabbling in passion projects including photography and attempting to turn his dog into an instagram influencer.
Robert Downer
Americas Grocery Lead, Uber Eats
Robert joined Uber as a city launcher in the United Kingdom in 2015, and has held multiple strategy and operations roles across Europe, India, and the United States. Launching and leading the Pride at Uber ERG in Europe, Robert oversaw the development of Uber’s LGBTQIA inclusion and advocacy efforts in the region covering product, policy, and partnerships - including discrimination reporting features in the Uber app. In 2019 Robert developed and featured in Uber’s global Pride Comes in All Colours campaign, which championed over 15 different LGBTQIA identities and the flags that represent them. Robert serves as Global Co-Chair for Pride at Uber, and is a Future Leader nominee in the 2020 British LGBT Awards.
Accomplishments
HRC Corporate Equality Index
We’re proud and excited that for the past 4 years (2016 – 2019), we’ve consistently earned a top score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI), with 4 of our global offices named Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality to date. The 2019 CEI evaluates LGBTQ-related policies and practices, including non-discrimination workplace protections, domestic partner benefits, transgender-inclusive healthcare benefits, competency programs, and public engagement with the LGBTQ community.
Advocacy
In partnership with Pride Parades NGOs, Uber Brazil released a “Respect” campaign to reduce sexual assault, misconduct, and discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community within the platform. The content was distributed on emails, in-app comms, social media, and speaker series for drivers.
In response to reports of the Trump administration pursuing changes to civil rights law that would have had far-reaching adverse effects to the transgender community, we proudly voiced our opposition to the measure and joined a coalition of businesses to show our support. Separately, when President Trump first announced a military transgender ban in July 2017, we issued a statement opposing the measure and offered up this tweet.
Additionally, in 2018 we helped Rani, an Indian transgender pioneer in Bhubaneswar (Odisha) get her own car as the first transgender shared-ride driver in her country. Car ownership is a crucial step for her to break free from the societal stigmas transgender people in India face by forging a path to sustainable employment as a driver on a ridesharing platform. Rani pays it forward by providing support and guidance to a growing transgender community of individuals who have been rejected by their families.
Gender transition guidelines
We released internal guidelines for transgender, non-binary, and gender nonconforming employees planning or going through a gender transition. In addition to supporting people considering a transition, these guidelines empower managers, co-workers, HRBPs, and friends and family members of transitioning individuals. They are a starting point for conversations and to enable awareness and allyship.
Community service
For Uber’s Week of Service in 2019, we partnered with the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and Trans:Thrive to help assemble harm-reduction kits and condom packs for San Francisco's at-risk population for the transfer of HIV. On the other side of the US, ATG Pride is working to partner with Proud Haven, an organization that provides safe shelter for LGBTQIA+ youth in Pittsburgh.
Additionally, in 2019, 10 Uber employees rode from SF to LA as part of the AIDS/LifeCycle charity ride. AIDS/LifeCycle is co-produced by the Los Angeles LGBT Center and San Francisco AIDS Foundation and is designed to advance their shared interest in reducing new HIV infections and improving the quality of life for people living with HIV/AIDS.
Global Pride awareness campaign
Each year, we look forward to honoring our LGBTQIA+ community in cities around the world. In our global Pride campaign for 2021, we partnered internally to celebrate Pride by recognizing the different flags, colors, and cultures within the LGBTQIA+ community. Learn more here.
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