Pride Month is no longer just a calendar event. In 2025, it stands as a powerful call for organizations to reassess how they foster belonging, equity, and representation, especially in remote and global teams. As hiring becomes increasingly borderless, the most successful companies are those that celebrate diversity not just visibly, but strategically.

For Philippine-based remote teams and global employers offshoring here, Pride Month presents an opportunity to honor LGBTQ+ voices, embed inclusion into culture, and differentiate your brand as a values-driven employer. But doing this meaningfully takes more than rainbows.

Pride in the Philippines: Cultural Context and Legal Realities

Understanding LGBTQ+ inclusion in the Philippines means navigating a blend of progressive advocacy and traditional values. While national laws like the SOGIE Equality Bill remain pending, many local government units have enacted anti-discrimination ordinances. Culturally, Filipinos often uphold values like pakikisama (harmony) and hiya (modesty), which can influence how openly LGBTQ+ employees express themselves.

For remote teams, especially those spanning cities and provinces, visibility and inclusion must consider these nuances. It’s not just about showing support; it’s about ensuring safety, representation, and dignity in every interaction, whether virtual or in person.

Nicole Golloso and Nico Bivero talk about the realities of DEI in the Philippines and where it’s headed.

7 Ways to Celebrate Pride Month in Remote Teams

How can your organization go beyond surface-level celebrations and lead with impact? Here are seven inclusive, thoughtful, and locally relevant ways to celebrate Pride Month with remote teams:

1. Launch a Cross-Region LGBTQ+ Listening Circle

Create a psychologically safe space for LGBTQ+ employees and allies to share experiences, stories, and ideas. Organize regional time slots to accommodate both Metro Manila and provincial participants. Consider inviting queer Filipino thought leaders as co-facilitators to ground the dialogue in local perspectives.

2. Run a SOGIE Awareness Series Tailored to Filipino Audiences

Too often, training around SOGIE is either generic or too Westernized. Partner with local NGOs like GALANG Philippines or Babaylanes Inc. to host interactive sessions. Topics may include LGBTQ+ 101, respectful language, allyship in Filipino contexts, and religious-cultural intersections.

3. Showcase LGBTQ+ Filipino Voices Through Storytelling

Invite LGBTQ+ team members (with consent) to share their stories via blogs, newsletters, or live town halls. These authentic narratives humanize diversity and foster empathy. Remote teams benefit even more when storytelling becomes part of the digital culture.

4. Activate LGBTQ+ Inclusive Benefits and Policies

Use June to review your current benefits and update them to reflect inclusivity. This may include:

• Inclusive parental leave (regardless of gender or marital status)
  
• Mental health access for LGBTQ+ employees
  
• Domestic partner benefits
  

If your policies aren’t there yet, Pride Month is a great time to start your benefits audit.

5. Sponsor a Local LGBTQ+ Initiative Together, Remotely

Support LGBTQ+ advocacy groups or Pride events in the Philippines, even from afar. Remote teams can:

• Host virtual fundraisers or donation drives
  
• Volunteer skills (design, marketing, translation)
  
• Amplify awareness campaigns via social media

This is a great way to tie values to community impact.

6. Avoid Rainbow-Washing: Create a Brand Authenticity Checklist

Before launching Pride-themed merch or graphics, run through a checklist:

• Do your company policies protect LGBTQ+ staff?
  
• Are queer employees involved in your campaign planning?
  
• Will you continue supporting the community after June?
  

This keeps your messaging real and your brand trusted. 

7. Run a DEI Health Check: Anonymous Pulse Survey for LGBTQ+ Belonging

Launch a Pride Month pulse survey to gather data on inclusion, belonging, and safety. Sample questions:

• Do you feel safe to express your identity at work?
  
• Do you trust leadership to take DEI seriously?
  
• Have you witnessed or experienced bias at work?

Share results transparently and commit to action items.

Metrics That Matter: How to Measure the Impact of Pride Month at Work

Celebrating Pride must go beyond participation counts. Measure what truly matters:

• Sentiment scores among LGBTQ+ staff
  
• Feedback from listening sessions
  
• Retention and promotion data for queer employees
  
• Allyship engagement (e.g., ERG growth, event feedback)
  
• Impact of policy changes launched during Pride
  

Your metrics should drive decisions, not just decoration.

Allyship Beyond June: Build Year-Round LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Your Remote Team

Pride Month is a catalyst, not the goal. Sustain your momentum by embedding LGBTQ+ inclusion into everyday operations:

• Include SOGIE content in onboarding and leadership training
  
• Create and fund LGBTQ+ employee resource groups (ERGs)
  
• Assign DEI ownership in OKRs or performance reviews
  
• Schedule year-round DEI dialogues, not just June events
  

Remember: Inclusion is ongoing work. Visibility and advocacy should not end with a campaign.

Conclusion: Celebrating Pride Is a Commitment, Not a Campaign

In the Philippines and beyond, LGBTQ+ employees deserve workplaces that recognize their full humanity. For remote teams, this means leading with intention, designing for impact, and showing up consistently.

Pride Month is your moment to assess how inclusive your culture truly is and commit to making it better, not just louder.

How will you ensure every team member, regardless of identity or location, feels seen, supported, and safe? See how Devy, a member of Penbrothers, is representing this community.