June is LGBTQI+ Pride Month!
FedTech embraces and supports the success of the LGBTQI+ community now and every month throughout the year! Pride Month serves as an important reminder that the LGBTQI+ community were historically oppressed in our society. Celebrated in June to commemorate the 1968 Stonewall Riots in Manhattan, New York, Pride Month is also a time to celebrate support and advancement of human rights for the LGBTQI+ community and recognize how we can further forge equality for our most at-risk citizens, including transgender women of color.
DEI&A is an important part of the mission of FedTech, most recently illustrated by the organization of the First Annual Deep Tech Innovation Sprint with a track dedicated to the exploration of ways to accelerate DEI&A initiatives within government, academic, and private sector institutions. FedTech stands for equal rights for all humans regardless of sexual orientation, gender, skin color, ethnicity, culture, religion, disability, or age. We are proud to have a diverse workforce and many LGBTQI+ community members among our employees, some of whom actively participate on our DEI&A committee.
Thom Martin, Director of Internal Innovation at FedTech, offers his personal thoughts on Pride Month:
A Time For Celebration, Remembrance, And Continued Conviction Gay Pride always brings so many emotions. While the gay pride parades, activities and parties are fun, having your identity acknowledged, appreciated, and even celebrated truly warms my soul. Growing up in the 60s/70s hiding from all the hatred for gays… to living the 80s push for freedom… then holding hands of so many lost to AIDs in the 90s …to marching for equality in these last two decades; it’s been quite a journey. Gay Pride reminds me of all the fun, fear and loss being gay has given me. Today, I am so blessed to have friends, neighbors, family, employer, businesses, etc appreciate me for me. I look forward to celebrating gay pride with them. While Gay Pride is important, I am more appreciative of all the times/moments of the year acknowledging, educating and celebrating diversity in the USA today. While there is still bigotry, prejudice and racism; it feels like we are at a tipping point and we will have more success in pushing for and celebrating diversity. So cheers to all us gays and to all the diversity in our world…. And a wish for those who feel outcast; that you acknowledge how beautiful you really are and celebrate yourself too. – Thom Martin |
As we work to advance DEI&A across our deep tech initiatives, FedTech celebrates LGBTQI+ Pride Month with the friends and members of the LGBTQI+ community. We also acknowledge that further steps are needed to realize equity, inclusion and accessibility across entrepreneurship and innovation. FedTech is forging a way forward to bring underrepresented people into the forefront of the deep tech ecosystem to benefit all of us!
Who is FedTech?
FedTech lives at the intersection of breakthrough technologies, entrepreneurship, and mission-driven organizations. Our commitment to unlock the benefits of technology for all is made possible via our deep relationships and collaborations that span across DoD, NASA, DoE, NIST, VA, federal labs, research institutions, universities, and corporations. We leverage our access to breakthrough technologies and entrepreneurs to keep our partners ahead of the disruption curve. Through our startup studios, accelerators, internal innovation and corporate venture programs, we work with individuals, companies, and government agencies to stay at the bleeding edge of innovation.