Pinterest recognizes Transgender Awareness Week and Transgender Day of Remembrance

Content warning: This blog post includes mention of anti-trans violence.

Hello, I am Sophie Roberts and I have the honor of serving as the Executive Sponsor for Pinterest’s Pinwheels Community, our internal group for LGBTQ+ Pinployees and their supporters. This week, we recognize Transgender Awareness Week from November 13-19, ending on a somber and poignant note: Transgender Day of Remembrance on Saturday, November 20. This is an opportunity to commemorate those whose lives were lost to anti-trans violence in the past year.

To illustrate why this moment is so necessary and urgent: So far in 2021, 45 people were reported being killed that we know of in the United States alone, because they chose to live their lives authentically. You can learn more and read their stories here.

Pinterest recognizes the unique needs of our trans, gender nonconforming and non-binary Pinployees. Each of our U.S. benefit plans includes coverage for healthcare services like hormone therapy and gender affirming surgeries, family planning support, and emotional wellbeing resources like counseling. We also offer courses to help employees learn about foundational concepts, terminology and basic strategies for supporting transgender, non-binary and gender nonconforming people in partnership with The Transgender Training Institute.

To honor this important moment, our Pinwheels community is hosting internal programming that centers the needs, challenges and voices of trans people, for identifying Pinployees and their aspiring allies alike:

• Discussion with Sam Feder, Director & Producer of Disclosure: A conversation with Sam Feder, Peabody Award-nominated film director, whose films explore the intersection of visibility and politics along the lines of race, class and gender. Sam’s features include Disclosure, Kate Bornstein is a Queer and Pleasant Danger and Boy I Am.
• Fireside conversation with Iman Le Caire: Iman Le Caire is a New York-based artist and trans activist. Born and raised in Cairo, Iman fled persecution and found asylum in the U.S., where she now works to assist other trans refugees around the globe through her organization, Trans Asylias.
• Transgender Day of Remembrance & Resilience: Healing Space: An opportunity for Pinployees who are trans, non-binary, gender nonconforming to share stories and heal together for Transgender Day of Remembrance. Somatic practitioner Nazbah Tom and Speaker/Facilitator/Healer Holiday Simmons will facilitate this space with a focus on community support and resilience.
• Pinterest benefits: An internal presentation and Q&A to highlight Pinterest’s benefits including: mental health, fertility, surrogacy, adoption, leave policies (parental and others) and info on navigating our providers’ websites.

Employees can further show support by donating to our Trans Awareness Week and Trans Day of Remembrance fund which will go toward four non-profits. Pinterest is matching employee donations 2:1: Black Trans Nation, Black Pink Ink, Lambert House, and the National Center for Transgender Equity.