Over the past several years, Honda has increased its recognition of Pride Month in June, supporting the LGBTQ+ community and its associates. This year, more than 500 Honda associates across the United States showed their pride through a variety of events. 

Associates from Honda facilities in Ohio, Indiana and Alabama represented the company in local Pride parades, including the Columbus Pride Parade which drew a crowd of half a million people. Associates in the parades Honda associates sported special Pride t-shirts designed by Honda R&D Americas associate Derek Lindsay.

“It’s great to see the design get exposure at such a large and positive event,” said Lindsay, principal engineer in R&D’s Interior department who specializes in seat development. “The design reflects input from many of our associates. And, for me personally, it represents inclusion, advocates for Pride Month, and expresses the Honda Core Value of ‘Respect for the Individual.'”

Honda promoted Pride month by featuring associates and encouraging all to realize the power of their dreams: “This #PrideMonth and beyond, we hope you #ChaseYourRainbow. To help people pursue their dreams, we’re proud to support @KYCOhio, an organization committed to supporting LGBTQ+ youth and allies in Columbus, Ohio.Honda promoted Pride month by featuring associates and encouraging all to realize the power of their dreams through a social media campaign called #ChaseYourRainbow. Honda also provided a donation to support @KYCOhio, an organization committed to supporting LGBTQ+ youth and allies in Columbus, Ohio.

Other Pride celebrations and events took place across the nation, including a service project at Stonewall Columbus and the Columbus Rainbow Run. Honda R&D’s LGBTQ+ Business Resource Group, PRISM, also hosted a sensitivity and inclusion speaker from Equality Ohio. Along with R&D associates, others from Honda of America Mfg. and Honda North America even helped prepare for the Columbus Pride Parade.

In California, Honda associates interested in launching a new LGBTQ+ Business Resource Group shared information at the Torrance campus, and several American Honda associates attended the Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Unity Summit with the support of the Office of Inclusion & Diversity. The summit, an annual gathering to discuss equality in the workplace, covered professional development, overcoming societal biases and misconceptions, and the future of the LGBTQ+ movement.

Several companies also chose to fly the rainbow flag in honor of Pride Month for the first time. These events and others hosted by Honda to celebrate Pride Month align with many of the core values Honda was founded on including Respect for the Individual. Founder Soichiro Honda believed strongly in recognizing and respecting individual differences in one another and treating each other fairly.