The weekend before last I was happy to meet with some of the 120 eBay and Gumtree staff who joined in the parade and revelries at Pride in London. It was a super sunny day and the middle of the city was totally alive to the celebrations with an estimated 1m people getting involved
Not only were eBay team members out in force for the day but joining them on the march was a specially constructed and very striking unicorn Ford Mustang (see above). The ‘float’ was constructed entirely from items purchased on eBay and will subsequently auctioned for a good cause, the Albert Kennedy Trust, as Chris from eBay explains in the video below.
It’s part of eBay’s company culture, lead by CEO Devin Wenig, to celebrate diversity within the company and the buying and selling community. He said last year: “diversity is one of the most valuable assets we have as we drive our business forward.” In the video below, Chris from eBay further explains why eBay joined the event.
The parade snaked from Regent’s Park to Whitehall, via Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square, and all the way along the route the ebay contingent was cheered and welcomed warmly. And it’s true people did shout out the various things that they had bought on eBay.
There will, of course, be those who wonder why the company should join in with Pride at all. But it’s now quite normal for all sorts of firms to get involved and celebrate their LGBT values and staff. I think it’s quite a jolly, and politically vital, thing to do.
