KnowBe4's 2022 Pride Celebrations

Pride Month is celebrated each year in June in the United States to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. Initially, the last Sunday in June was marked as "Gay Pride Day," but over the years, the day soon grew to encompass a month-long series of celebrations! Today, Pride Month includes parades, parties, educational workshops, and more to honor the LGBTQIA+ community.

At KnowBe4, we wear pride on our sleeves and work daily to cultivate an environment that encourages all our employees to show who they really are. Let’s take a look at how our Knowsters celebrated their pride and supported the LGBTQIA+ community throughout Pride 2022!

Participating in Local Networking Events

Members of our LGBTQIA+ employee resource group kicked off Pride Month by attending the Tampa Bay LGBT Chamber’s Annual Pride in Business Luncheon! Our Knowsters had the opportunity to network, enjoy lunch with other local organizations, and celebrate! 

"The Pride in Business Luncheon hosted by the Tampa Bay LGBT Chamber was so much fun! I loved being about to attend and network with members of the LGBTQIA+ community while representing KnowBe4. My favorite part of the luncheon was hearing from some of our elected officials and listening to a panel of leaders from businesses in the Tampa Bay area.”
-Ryne, Talent Outreach Specialist

"It was an absolute pleasure to represent KnowBe4 at the Pride in Business Luncheon as Vice President of our LGBTQIA+ ERG alongside other members of our employee-led resource group. Overall, it was a great event filled with networking and important conversations. We discussed how Pride Month may end in June; however, the journey to full equality is a continuous endeavor! I left the luncheon asking myself and our ERG what we can do to show our pride for the rest of the year and continue emphasizing issues of importance in our local community and abroad for LGBTQIA+ individuals. I absolutely would attend again."
-Jeff, KMSAT Product Manager

Marina, People and Culture Coordinator in Berlin, and Valentina, Talent Outreach Specialist in Utrecht, recently attended Sticks and Stones. This is one of the largest career fairs in Germany that provides an avenue for LGBTQIA+ students and professionals to showcase their skills and create synergies.

"Attending the Sticks and Stones event was an experience I will never forget! We met with several incredible individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community and heard many inspiring stories. We also spread the word about how fantastic it is to work for KnowBe4 and how proud we are to support the community!"
-Valentina, Talent Outreach Specialist EMEA

Hearing From Our LGBTQIA+ Community on @KB4People

Many Knowsters from our LGBTQIA+ employee resource group shared on our @KB4People social media pages throughout the month about why they are proud of their identity and how they feel supported working at KnowBe4.

“Our LGBTQIA+ employee resource group allows me to demonstrate support to others as an executive and receive support myself. Being with other members feels like a breath of fresh air. I don’t have to 'tone down the gay' or explain cultural references. Some of us are not out, which is an incredibly beautiful experience to be able to bolster and validate members of our community. One of my favorite memories in our group has been connecting with a 'Knewbie' who is a Black trans woman over ‘Paris Is Burning,’ an iconic American documentary film. It was a special moment that made me gay-cry!”
-Kayley, VP SAC Courseware & Labs

“What makes me truly proud of my identity is that I live a life of authenticity. Before I came out, I always felt that I was living someone else’s life because I was uncomfortable with who I was. Now, I am not only proud of who I am, but I know this is what makes me, me! I am so happy KnowBe4 offers an LGBTQIA+ employee resource group! It is a safe place to network, receive support, and build connections with other employees.”
-Ryne, Talent Outreach Specialist

Yoandi, Product Localization Director in Clearwater, Florida, and Marina, People & Culture Coordinator in Berlin, also shared on our @KB4People social media pages how they feel supported as Knowsters and why they love being part of the LGBTQIA+ employee resource group.

Marching in Pride Parades

Our Netherlands Knowsters spent one of their Saturdays in June marching in the Utrecht Pride parade.

“In the Netherlands, there are two Pride parades throughout the summer, one during June in Utrecht and one during August in Amsterdam. It is fantastic that we all come together to celebrate, and I am so proud of KnowBe4 for sponsoring the event! It was a great day, filled with so much color and laughter. I already cannot wait to attend the next parade.” 
-Melanie, International Onboarding Specialist

Our Clearwater, Florida, U.S. Knowsters also attended the local Saint Petersburg Pride parade. Knowsters enjoyed representing KnowBe4 by showing off their pride in front of more than 260,000 local Tampa Bay attendees!

"I attended the Saint Petersburg Pride parade because I feel it is important to show up for this important group. I loved that KnowBe4 was in the parade and willing to spread that same message of love and support to the entire Tampa Bay community."
-Daniel, eLearning Instructional Designer

Celebrating Pride at RSA Conference 

From June 6-9, several Knowsters attended RSA in San Francisco. At this conference, the security industry comes together to discuss current and future concerns while also connecting with industry experts. One evening, our Knowsters gathered together in the Castro District, one of the very first gay neighborhoods in the United States. Safe to say, they had a blast!

KnowBe4 is continually working to improve our inclusion and equality initiatives. For our Knowsters, Pride is more than a month. We celebrate it 365 days a year and encourage everyone to always show up as their most authentic selve