In many places around the world, June is considered Pride Month. We kicked off Pride Month by celebrating the launch of PRISM, Perficient’s newest ERG dedicated to creating safe spaces for understanding, education, and culture focused on respect, recognition, and learning for the LGBT+ community and allies.
PRIDE Month Realness
For our first event, we proudly launched our inaugural Perficient Ball, “10 10 10‘s – Celebrating Pride Across the World.” This event was an epic showcase of our diversity and courage, representing our unity around the globe.
Colleagues around the world celebrate pride in various ways: gathering with friends, attending marches, expressing our freedom, and sharing our support and pride with the community. Historically, the LGBT+ community has sought and created safe spaces, and one of these iconic spaces is the “Ball.”
In its beginnings, Balls were places where predominantly gay and trans people found moments of joy, embracing their identities to the fullest. In a world where they couldn’t see each other, a Ball was a space to shine, dance, and find **** and security, all with glamour, glitter, and energy (think 1991’s Paris Is Burning). Today, Balls are open to the entire queer community and continue to be spaces of celebration and self-expression.
Our Event
Embracing this rich tradition, we created an event for our Perficient members around the world to celebrate together, learn, and connect. We witnessed how both the community and allies showcased their pride from their respective corners of the globe.
During our event, we aimed to crown our “Proudest Perficient PRISM Member.” We had seven finalists, guided by our charismatic host and PRISM co-chair, Avi Flud. Each finalist shared their experiences through videography, photos, and presentations from vibrant locations such as Guadalajara, Argentina, Chicago, St. Louis, and Atlanta.
What the judges liked most during the competition was the originality, the music, our cultural diversity, the passion, and the historical touches that the competitors were able to incorporate into their presentations, and we can hear through the competition that everyone must be ready to be “Too glam to give a damn.”
We had over 50 people attend on Teams throughout the event, who kept the energy high through all participants’ presentations. In the end, the spirit of inclusivity and celebration led us to crown 3 participants as winners, and 4 runner ups. Each finalist brought unique energy, passion, and pride to the event, embodying the very essence of PRISM. By celebrating every participant, we honored the diverse stories and vibrant contributions of our community members, and we were able to donate to even more charities than initially planned.
Overall, PRISM’s first event as an official ERG was a dazzling successit’s a community where we celebrate authenticity, inclusivity, and pride. We invite you to join us in creating safe spaces and fostering a culture of respect and learning. Let’s continue to support each other, celebrate our diversity, and shine together.
