Google Employees Petition SF Pride Remove Company from Parade
A group of Google employees have released an open petition to the Board of Directors of San Francisco Pride to remove the company from the list of Pride sponsors. Allegedly, the employees are protesting the fact that Google has not improved the corporate conditions for "LGBTQ+ persons, the depiction of LGBTQ+ persons, and harassment and hate speech directed at LGBTQ+ persons, on YouTube and other Google products," CNET reports.
A company spokesperson said in a recent statement: "Google has marched in the San Francisco Pride Parade for more than a decade and we are excited to continue the tradition this weekend. We are grateful for SF Pride's partnership and leadership."
The petition asks that if the parade committee does not remove Google, that it "will issue a determination, absent a real change in these policies and practices, and a strong position statement to that effect, that Google will not be permitted to sponsor or be officially represented in future San Francisco Pride celebrations," according to the Verge.
In response to the petition, SF Pride released a statement saying that it would not remove Google from the parade.
"Google and YouTube can and must do more to elevate and protect the voices of LGBTQ+ creators on their platforms, and we've found that Google has been willing to listen to this criticism and is working to develop appropriate policies. They have acknowledged they have much work to do to promote respectful discussion and exchange of ideas," the statement reads. "...we confirm Google as a continued participant in the 2019 SF Pride Parade," it continues.
The San Francisco Pride Parade and Celebration will take place over the weekend of Sat, Jun 29, 2019 — Sun, Jun 30, 2019. Find more information here: www.sfpride.org/.