Detroit will showed off the colors of the rainbow, celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) culture at Motor City Pride, an annual two-day festival and parade that is the largest LGBTQ gathering in Michigan.
As a key sponsor of the festival and the lead sponsor of the parade, FCA US LLC and the FIAT brand will celebrate their longstanding commitment to LGBTQ employees, communities, customers and issues.
A specially-wrapped 2019 Fiat 124 Spider, the brand’s Italian-designed, fun-to-drive roadster, served as the grand marshal vehicle of the Motor City Pride parade, which starts at noon on June 9 and ends at Hart Plaza.
An additional 2019 Fiat 124 Spider and a specially-wrapped new 2019 Fiat 500X accompanied the grand marshal vehicle in the parade.
“Motor City Pride is an important way for FCA US to celebrate our diverse and inclusive work culture where all employees are respected and engaged in the process of developing the world’s best vehicles and industry-leading brands,” said Alisa Nagle, Head of Human Resources, FCA – North America. “We are especially proud of our Business Resource Groups, which continue to lead the Company’s engagement in vitally important community programs such as Motor City Pride.”
The power behind the sponsorship of Motor City Pride is the Company’s LGBTQ Business Resource Group, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance (GALA).
GALA is one of seven Business Resource Groups at FCA US representing a range of affinity communities: African-American, Hispanic, Asian, LGBTQ, Veterans, Native Americans and Women.
FCA US Business Resource Groups are employee-directed and individually and collectively pursue initiatives that enhance the FCA US work culture by focusing on career development of members, celebrating multicultural differences and bringing value to the Company and external communities through volunteer, charitable and strategic activities.
“Motor City Pride is fueled by the longstanding support of FCA US and the FIAT brand,” said Dave Wait, Chairperson – Motor City Pride. “We are thankful for how this collaborative partnership helps fuel efforts to achieve full equality and respect for all people in Michigan.”
FCA US was recognized as a leader among U.S. employers for providing domestic partner benefits to its employees in 2000 and has achieved a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Corporate Equality Index 11 times since the benchmark was established.
The Company recently earned meaningful acknowledgement of its diversity leadership when the editors of the respected DiversityInc magazine named FCA US to the magazine’s 2019 list of “Noteworthy Companies for Diversity” and to the list of “Top Companies for Veterans.”
FCA US and the FIAT brand’s support of Motor City Pride was part of a weeklong celebration of Pride Week at the Company, which also included a visit to its Auburn Hills facility by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.
Nessel participated in a social event commemorating Pride Week and then addressed a group comprised of GALA members and others in the FCA US community about her personal experiences as a member of the LGBTQ community and the evolution of rights and laws concerning this community.