Prejudice & Pride
Firespring, the company I founded, originally opened its doors for business as AlphaGraphics on Monday, August 3rd, 1992. On Tuesday the 4th, a young woman approached me at the counter and asked to speak with the manager. I was 27 years old but looked 17 at the time, so when I said, “how can I help you?” she again asked for the manager. “That’s me”. “How can I help you?”
She explained that she was a representative of the Gay/Lesbian Student Association and was hoping that AlphaGraphics would consider sponsoring an upcoming event on campus. I had been so busy getting ready to open our doors that I hadn’t even stopped to think about how I would respond to requests for philanthropy, let alone how to decide which causes I’d want to support.
I grew up in a small Nebraska town in the 70’s and 80’s when insensitive jokes about sexuality, gender and race were woven into the fabric of daily life. I laughed — and even perpetuated — the dreadful attempts at humor. My prejudice was showing. To this day, I still feel deep shame for my behavior.
There were plenty of people growing up all around me who would later identify as LGBTQ+, many of them friends that I am still in contact with today. Understandably, at the time, they felt compelled to keep it to themselves until they got the hell out of Dodge.
I attended the University of Nebraska after graduating high school and, for the first time, met people who were open about their sexual orientation even though the majority remained markedly low-key about it due to fear of judgement, bullying and exclusion.
After graduating, I moved to New York City to launch a company and over the next four years was deluged with exposure to people and lifestyles that shocked the foundation of my homogenous adolescence. I discovered that I found absolute joy in my heart whenever I was around a fellow human living their truth — and even more so if they were bigger than life about it. I became enamored by the pride in the LGBTQ+ community and culture and knew that I wanted to be an ally.
Standing at the AlphaGraphics counter on that hot and humid August day in 1992, after pausing for a moment to gather my thoughts, I recognized that I had an opportunity to make an impact in a small way and said “yes, we’d be honored to support the Gay/Lesbian Student Association.”
My company, later renamed Firespring, has since become a global leader in the socially conscious business movement. We have seeded several nonprofit organizations, became the first Certified B Corporation in Nebraska and every year give millions in profits, products and people to support organizations that inspire us. And it all started that moment I said “yes” to supporting a LGBTQ+ organization.
Star City Pride
If you’ve been on Facebook during the past few weeks and live in or near Lincoln, you’ve likely seen content for Star City Pride on June 18th and 19th. It is an all-volunteer event with a mission to “educate the community and raise awareness of the continued struggle for LGBTQIA+ rights.” Star City Pride is Lincoln’s way of celebrating Pride Month — which commemorates the ongoing pursuit of equal justice for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community and celebrates the accomplishments of LGBTQ+ individuals. The event that catalyzed the gay rights movement occurred June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in New York City when a series of violent acts occurred between police and gay rights activists.
Pride is a time to recognize the progress that’s been made since the Stonewall Riots, and it’s just as important to acknowledge how far we still must go as a society. My LGBTQ+ friends who live in Lincoln continue to remind me of this.
In February, 2022 the Lincoln City Council voted to revise Title 11 to align with recent federal protections affirmed by the Supreme Court by adding gender identity, sexual orientation and military personnel as protected classes. Less than 24 hours later, opposition groups announced a petition to stop the ordinance which likely means that the issue will be put on the ballet for a public vote. The Nebraska Family Alliance and other opponents of the ordinance focus on fears that the ordinance will expose businesses to fines for expressing their religious beliefs on marriage and sexuality and on allowing bathroom access based on gender identity.
As a Lincoln business owner, I support living in a city and community that attracts people and their families to our community regardless of sexual orientation, race or religious beliefs. We must ensure that all people feel not only safe and protected, but also welcome and appreciated. This is a mindset that I wish every citizen of Lincoln would support.
According to statistics from Stonewall, 19% of lesbian, gay and bi workers have experienced verbal bullying from their colleagues or customers because of their sexual orientation, but 13% say that they would not feel confident in reporting homophobic bullying in their workplace.
In addition to this, 42% of trans people who are not living permanently in their preferred gender role say that they are prevented from doing so because they feel it will threaten their employment status. 10% of trans people also report having experience verbal abuse in the workplace and 6% say that they have been physically assaulted at work. Consequently, a quarter of trans people feel obliged to change their jobs because of harassment.
I firmly believe businesses have a responsibility to their employees to provide them with a workplace where they feel safe and comfortable. Clearly for many LGBTQ+ people, this isn’t currently the case. If businesses and municipalities were to introduce supportive policies it could have an immediate affect on individuals, leading to less discrimination and increased openness.
Being an LGBTQ+ inclusive community starts with everyday actions. And it’s as easy as starting with a “yes” when local groups ask for support. I hope you’ll consider showing your support and join Firespring, my wife and me at this year’s Star City Pride festival.
Jay Wilkinson is the founder of Firespring and Cofounder of the Do More Good Movement. His life’s mission is to cultivate his own consciousness and be a catalyst for others to do the same. He’s got a lot of work to do.
