As we've said before, Wells Fargo and Wachovia are a great match for many reasons. One of those is our respect for the varying backgrounds of both our customers and our team members. That diversity is so important, we have Diverse Segments — a division that develops programs to address the financial needs of diverse customer groups nationwide, including African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics, Women and the LGBT community.
With June being Pride Month, I am pleased to introduce you guest blogger, Mark Ng. Mark is our Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Segment Manager for Diverse Segments. Today he shares some of his thoughts about Pride.
During the month of June, we join other organizations and companies throughout the nation in celebrating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month. 
This month-long commemoration gives us the opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of LGBT Americans and recognize the contributions of the LGBT community to the greater fabric of American diversity.
Those who regularly visit this blog know that there are many aspects to the integration process. However, one value that both of our companies already share is our respect and appreciation of diversity.
Since the 1980s, Wells Fargo and Wachovia have supported several LGBT organizations across the nation. Our support came not only in the form of donations, but also through thousands of volunteer hours logged in by our team members to assist the work of our LGBT community partners. For the past 5 years, both companies scored a perfect 100% on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index , and both have a long history of supporting LGBT employee resource networks. In fact, we were ranked #2 on DiversityInc's 2009 Top 10 Companies for LGBT Employees.
I am only one of the many LGBT team members proud to work for a company that allows us to bring 100% of ourselves to work every day. Not having to spend energy hiding and pretending allows us to focus our energy on what matters the most: serving our customers.
During the coming weeks, many of you will see the stagecoach at local Pride parades and celebrations throughout the country.While the stagecoach is a great visual symbol of our brand, ours is a living brand. I encourage you to talk to the hundreds of LGBT team members and allies at the parade or at the Festival. They are our greatest ambassadors of pride and respect and will tell you first-hand about Wells Fargo's inclusive work environment, and how we express our Pride, not only in June, but throughout the year.
I'm not LGBT but I commend WF for your stand on these issues. As a Wachovia (and all prior banks backwards) I will be proud to say I'm a Wells Fargo customer.
Hello, what month do you celebrate the accomplishments of Heterosexual Americans and recognize the contributions of the Heterosexual community to the greater fabric of American diversity?
thanks.
Is there a time line for when Wells Fargo will rebrand/take over Wachovia's Mortgage Department?
Umm. not sure I can bank with Wells Fargo when this happens. I am not supportive of this behavior with the LGBT. If this is where my monies are going to support, i need to find a new bank. I will NOT support this.
Do you support real charities as well? Like Childrens, medical research, cancer, homeless or is somethng like LGBT only thing you support?
@Marcus In the blog post below (April 9th), we announced that together, Wells Fargo and Wachovia have increased contributions to nonprofit organizations to $226 million in 2008. That includes a wide variety of organizations, including LGBT.
http://blog.wellsfargo.com/wachovia/2009/04/one_team_twice_as_strong_chari.html
I am disappointed in that fact that this blog is allowing posts that criticizes the LGBT community and NOT posting any defensive comments or remarks from the LGBT bloggers such as myself. If you are not going to post mine replied comments, then you need to remove their hateful comments as well. This is suppose to be a positive blog, not one where there is bashing comments from people who hate the LBGT community.
You do know that most American Top 500 corporations give contributions to many charities including (but not exclusively) LGBT organizations, including both legacy Wells Fargo and Wachovia.
If you did not know, you need to inform yourself better, catch up with current events.
I'm glad you took the time to enter another comment. We were not able to approve your previous comment directed at "Firefighter in Alabama" because we interpreted it as a personal attack. We were unable to contact you to let you know this, because you choose to not provide your email address (which is fine, that's your option).
There are certainly comments on this blog that we don't agree with, but they have met our guidelines--see http://blog.wellsfargo.com/wachovia/community-guidelines.html --
because they've not been personal, nor using offensive language, etc.
I'm a proud GLTB team member myself, but I can only approve comments that meet our guidelines, not comments I may agree or disagree with. I hope you understand these guidelines, as they're meant to keep conversations on our blog respectful and productive to all.
Thank you!
You know and I know that Firefighter was disrespectful to the community and I feel his comment should be removed.
I just discovered the company blog today and was pleased to find the post by Molly and Mark. I'm proud to work for a company that recognizes the contributions of all its employees, and does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. It was, therefore, somewhat disheartening to read the comments by @Firefighter in Alabama and @Marcus. Disheartening, but not surprising. I attended my first Pride event last month, and I hope to take part in more in the years ahead. As I understand them, these events are reminders that all of us -- straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered -- make meaningful contributions to the "fabric" of this country, and that none of us has to be ashamed of who we are. Firefighters I know put their lives on the line every day. A good friend lost sight in one eye while battling a blaze last year. I wouldn't think him -- or any of his brethren -- any less heroic because his orientation differs from my own. My work for Wachovia/Wells Fargo requires far less courage, but does require me to do my best to serve my clients as well as I possibly can, no matter what their views may be. I would hope that I would be judged on the basis of how well I fulfill that obligation.
There is not one negative word in my post towards LGBT Employee's or Customers, or WFB/WAC.
I simply asked in which month does WFB/WAC celebrate there heterosexual employee's? After all "equality" should be for all employee's and customers, NOT just some of them.
Yes, sir, but your question is typical of the type asked by a powerholder and implies disapproval of the company's decision to, in this case, recognize only its subordinate members. In this country, as in many others, Caucasian male heterosexuals (and of course, I have no way of knowing whether or not you are any of these) are in an historically dominant position relative to non-Caucasians, women, and members of the LGBT community. It's not that the achievements of heterosexuals should not be celebrated. Of course they should, but what makes events like Pride month so important is that a community's powerholders -- be they employers or local governments -- choose to specifically recognize the worth of their subordinate members, those who lack power relative to others in that community. I personally believe that powerholders -- by virtue of the benefits that accrue to them from their positions in society -- have a moral responsibility to at least attempt to walk a mile in the shoes of those who typically lack such power. Your decision to pose your question in response to a post about the Pride celebration suggests that you do not.
Excellent response - it couldn't have been said any better!!!
MODERATOR'S NOTE: The views expressed herein are those of the blogger alone and do not constitute a position taken by Wells Fargo or Wachovia. Please see About This Blog for more information.
Nice response. I learned a lot from the comment about powerholders. I have heard people say the same thing, "what about white people, what about men, what about hethero, whatever". I'm glad to have something to fire back at them. I like the term powerholder and I like where you went with it. I am a client of Wellsfargo and will tell others about your excellent moral code.