Supporting LGBTQ+ Pride Month as a Cadence DEI Intern

by Francie Huebner

As a second-time HR intern at Cadence, I am so proud to see how the LGBTQ+ community and allies at Cadence came together for this year’s LGBTQ+ Pride Month. As a new member of the LGBTQ+ community in the corporate world, I was worried that I would have to hide my identity to fit in with my peers. Instead, I am celebrated for my authenticity and individuality by my coworkers and managers every day.

For the past two years, I have had the opportunity to work with our LGBTQ+ Inclusion Group and HR team to organize Pride activities, including bringing inspiring speakers to Cadence. As a member of our LGBTQ+ Inclusion Group, I have found a supportive community that has my back. For my Cadence colleagues, I strongly recommend this group and our other inclusion groups to people who don’t have the dominant voice in our society and to their allies who are looking for ways to support these communities. It has been so rewarding for me to see Cadence continue to expand our celebration of our LGBTQ+ community and to see more employees joining that celebration. We host leaders from the community, facilitate inclusion group meetings and socials, send out companywide emails with resources on allyship, and so much more. It’s one of the reasons why Cadence has been recognized by the Human Rights Campaign as one of the Best Workplaces for LGBTQ Equality.

One of my favorite initiatives I worked on last year was implementing a new program that made it easy for employees to add pronouns to their email signatures and Zoom names. It’s been so fun for me to come back this summer and see how many more of my colleagues have added their pronouns to their email signatures, as well as their Zoom titles when I have a meeting with them. It makes me feel included and valid, as someone who uses both she/her and they/them pronouns.

My favorite activity celebrating Pride Month this year was hearing from Amita Mehta, who brought her insights as a “proud, outspoken member of the LGBTQ+ community" to our entire company in a fireside chat with our LGBTQ+ Inclusion Group Lead, Rene Spring. My two favorite quotes from her talk were: “Use your voice, your platforms, elevate other underrepresented groups” and “It is my story to tell, and I will always be authentic.” As someone who focuses on intersectionality in everything I do, these inspirational words will ring in my ears as I continue my own academic and career paths. I love that employees have the opportunity to set aside time during their workday, where they can learn about other people’s stories, challenges, and career journeys.

In addition to these activities, Cadence hung progress flags across multiple sites in North America and Ireland! I’m based at our headquarters in San Jose, CA, and when I drove onto the Cadence campus, my heart smiled seeing such a public display of support for the LGBTQ+ community. Cadence's holistic approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion allows our message to be clear: Cadence is a company that supports the LGBTQ+ community.

Cadence continues to make their mark during the popular Bay Area Pride celebrations. We participated in the Silicon Valley Pride March last August, and we plan to sponsor again this year. By making our name known to the LGBTQ+ community, we are opening our doors to more diverse recruits who will have access to LGBTQ+-inclusive benefits and support from their team members every day at work.

All these acts of Pride are something I hope to see more companies and organizations adopt as we move towards a more welcoming and accepting workplace. If you’d like to hear from other employees on the importance of Pride, please watch this video!

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