By early afternoon, WeWork Bryant Park was already packed with roughly 400 members, employees, family, and friends eager to make their way down 5th Avenue as part of the New York Pride March. The June 25 event attracted more than 2 million people.
It was the first time WeWork participated in the annual event, and everyone in the room was eager to show off their excitement. T-shirts in every shade of the rainbow—emblazoned with the words “Always Love”— were quickly customized. Some were covered in glitter, others had the sleeves cropped or a bit of fringe added to the bottom.
The huge group marched together to the parade kick-off area, where they joined WeWork’s distinctive black-and-white float. Above everyone’s head was a giant silver heart that sparkled in the sunlight.
“Pride means celebrating togetherness in every way,” said Candice Boysen, a WeWork Irving Place employee who was marking her fourth Pride Day. She said working for a company that supports LGBT equality makes her feel “even more proud and extremely lucky.”
As the WeWork contingent joined the parade, a cheer went up from those who were already dancing atop the float to tunes by Lady Gaga and Scissor Sister. The parade headed down 5th Avenue before turning right onto 8th Street. It veered left onto Christopher Street, passing the Stonewall Inn, the bar where the gay rights movement began in 1969.
Aoibheann Daly, a WeWork Bryant Park member, was thrilled to be marching with WeWork.
“It’s all about getting people together, inclusion, and acceptance,” says Daly, engagement manager at Jobbio. She thinks it’s important for a company like WeWork to support its “diverse community from all walks of life.”
Throughout the month, WeWork participated in six other Pride Day festivities in cities like Boston, Portland, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. The grand finale was New York City, where WeWork was one of more than 80 floats and 350 contingents.
WeWork’s participation in the event was particularly meaningful for many New Yorkers. Take WeWork Bryant Park member Alex Borders, who works for Vendura Diamond Corporation. He says he’s been looking forward to the event since it was announced.
“It takes just this weekend for me to see what I’ve been waiting for all year long,” he says. “We’re so divided. Everyone is so segregated. But for these last two weeks it’s very clear that nothing matters. All that matters is people.”
