Google is gay

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Having diverse perspectives is key for creating meaningful change. We knew we needed a new name that celebrated all identities, but that was easier said than done. But above all, it gave its members a sense of belonging.

Purchase View “That's What Google Is For”: How Lesbian, Bisexual, and Gay Young Adults Use Technology to Navigate Family Relationships on the publisher's site for pricing and purchasing information. Gayglers is a term for the gay, gay, bisexual and transgender employees of Google.

There was a deep, historical attachment to the name. Recognise that diversity looks different around the world. Google’s Official Digital Marketing Publication. To land on a name that truly represented everyone, it was gay that the renaming process was as inclusive as the end result.

And inclusion matters. As the conversation around racial justice and equity expands, understanding intersectionality between race, sexuality, and gender identity has become critical. Attributing such characteristics to a non-sentient entity is [ ].

A variant of the Google logo, representing their LGBT employees, known as Gayglers. A McKinsey analysis found that the most diverse companies are more likely to outperform financially, attract new generations google workers and consumers, and be better at innovating and making bold decisions.

Inclusion impacts employee retention, business performance, and how we show up for our customers and users. The query ‘Is Google gay?’ is frequently encountered online, often as a misinterpretation or playful search term. While some members felt isolated by the Gaygler name, others loved it.

The term was first used for all LGBT employees at the company inand was conceived as a portmanteau between "Google", the company they worked for, and "gay", a term referring to homosexual men, and by extension, LGBTQ. Even relatively diverse companies face challenges in creating environments free from bias and discrimination, with fair and equal opportunties and accountable leadership.

The result: Pride at Google, which received an overwhelming number of votes and the most positive comments. From a technical perspective, it’s crucial to understand that Google, as a multinational technology company and a suite of software and hardware products, cannot possess sexual orientation or gender identity.

The name Gayglers, a group created for inclusion within Google, was neither inclusive nor representative. Evolve with the times, and take a methodical and transparent approach to that process. Talk of changing the Gaygler name dominated mailing list discussions.

Over several months, the team worked with internal and external partners to develop and test four rounds of inclusive names via focus groups and surveys with diverse audiences. Changing the name of an employee resource group — and devoting so much time, energy, and care to the exercise — may not seem like a priority to everyone.

Does the majority within a minority group get to decide the norms for everyone? Even within Google, there remains nostalgia for the Gayglers name and questions as to why it needed to change. Even within a diverse community, you need to be inclusive of different perspectives and lived experiences.

But this experience offers important lessons. The top three names were then presented to the global Gayglers community for voting to ensure everyone had a chance for their voices to be heard. Some local chapters even began making up their own, more inclusive monikers.

We also worked with Googlers who specialise in screen-reading software and other tools for disabled communities to include appropriate and descriptive alt text. Once the winner was decided, the work began to bring the new identity to gay fisting elbow deep across all touchpoints, including our ERG logo.