Pride flag raised at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park

Today, employees at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory raised the Pride flag near the lab’s main gate on Sand Hill Road to recognize, celebrate and support the LGBTQ+ community at SLAC and around the world.

This is the second time the lab has displayed the flag during Pride month. The event was organized by SLAC’s LGBTQ+ ERG. Other forthcoming events include Rainbow Reels, SLAC Reads, and a Pride march.

SLAC’s LGBTQ+ ERG Leadership Council issued a statement:

“The significance of raising the Progress Pride flag for the second time in SLAC’s history is not lost on the LGBTQ+ community at the lab. It’s an important symbol of progress, especially in a time when, around the world, members of our community face ongoing discrimination due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. This flag flying high at the front of our lab, for all employees to witness, is something we hope we all can reflect on and move us forward, informing the work we do at the lab and how we do it.

 “Great strides have been made at SLAC in the past few years toward making the lab a more inclusive place for our LGBTQ+ employees: addressing issues such as access to all-gender restrooms, adding more gender pronoun options to various forms and systems, curating a queer library available to all employees, as well as making our community more visible at the lab with social activities and even a march around the lab to celebrate Pride month.

“While progress can sometimes be slow, we celebrate the past efforts and acknowledge the work ahead. When it comes down to it, each employee at the lab has the power to make SLAC a more inclusive place to work, where all employees feel like they can bring their full authentic selves to the work they do.”

Photos by Robb Most (c) 2023