We are pleased to hear that Amazon had been shortlisted for the Pink News Business Equality Award this year. Now in its 5th year, the Pink News Awards aim to recognise the contributions of businesses, charities, politicians, campaigners and journalists towards achieving LGBT+ equality both in the UK and overseas. The Business Equality Award category celebrates the efforts that companies have undertaken to improve LGBT+ equality over the past year.

The shortlist was announced on Tuesday at an event at Speaker’s House in the Houses of Parliament, attended by nominees, senior politicians, celebrities and LGBT+ activists.

We welcome the recognition of our increasing focus on fostering and celebrating diversity and inclusion within Amazon for all minorities, including for our LGBT+ employees. Our LGBT+ network, glamazon, helps to ensure that LGBT+ and questioning employees feel safe, visible, and are supported throughout their career, working across the business to ensure this. Glamazon launched in the UK over two years ago and has grown quickly, providing leadership, support and networking for our LGBT+ employees and straight allies.

We explicitly support LGBT+ families in company policies in a number of ways, such as by ensuring transparent and fair parental leave for couples in a same-sex relationship that choose to have a baby through adoption or a surrogate. We support our LGBT+ employees through membership of organisations including Stonewall and OUTstanding, who provide networking and mentoring opportunities. And this month we worked with over 150 of our LGBT+ employees and allies to participate in Pride – as well as being the official music sponsor through Amazon Music.

“Our goal is to continually increase diversity throughout our business and in the field of technology,” said Alison Barlow, Head of EU Diversity at Amazon . “Amazon has hundreds of millions of customers who benefit from diverse thinking that helps us pioneer and innovate. Our diverse perspectives come from many sources including gender, race, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, culture, education, as well as professional and life experience.”

A judging panel will decide the winner in each category, which will be announced at the PinkNews Awards ceremony on Wednesday 18th October 2017 in London.

For more information, visit: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/07/18/nominees-pinknews-awards-2017/