Supporting the LGBTQ+ Community

Written by Clement Kao

In the wake of more than 380 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in the US this year alone, including many recent bills explicitly targeting members of the transgender community, Product Teacher unambiguously stands with the LGBTQ+ community and against fear, misinformation, hate, and discrimination of all kinds.

LGBTQ+ people are our friends and family. They are our neighbors and members of our communities. They are our team members, partners, vendors, customers, and investors. We stand firmly with the LGBTQ+ community against fear, misinformation, and hate because these harms go against who we are as an organization, and ask that our ecosystem do the same.

We commit to leveraging our resources and core business practices to push back against these harmful developments, and continuing to invest in a healthy and inclusive workplace & industry for everyone—including LGBTQ+ people.

There will be learning ahead of us to understand how to help LGBTQ+ people feel the same sense of support, inclusion, and belonging as we would wish for ourselves. What we won't compromise on is our commitment to the respect and dignity of our LGBTQ+ community members, and our promise to all of you that no matter your background, Product Teacher stands behind your right to exist free from discrimination and hate.

To that end, we are committed to partnering with LGBTQ+ community groups & nonprofits to provide all of our on-demand PM education courses for free. We know that there are already enough barriers in the way of LGBTQ+ professionals, and we want to do our part to level the playing field.

We’re proud to be partnering with product qties to provide dozens of licenses of our product management courses to LGBTQ+ professionals. Through these courses, we have enabled underrepresented minorities to break into product and excel on the job at leading tech companies like Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon, and Apple, and to advocate for a more inclusive and supportive environment in tech.

If you are an organizer for an LGBTQ+ group, or you know someone who is an organizer, please reach out to us at admin@productteacher.com, and we’ll get logistics sorted out ASAP.

We have committed ourselves, and continue to commit ourselves, to creating a diverse & inclusive industry for people of all backgrounds and identities.

Credit to Lily Zheng (they/them), DEI Strategist, for galvanizing inclusive action across organizations.