Pearson's Chris van den Broek: embracing Pride and promoting LGBTQ+ voices

Chris van den Broek, Campaign Marketing Manager at Pearson, reflects on Pride, LGBTQ+ rights, and the importance of acceptance and equality in a heartfelt account of personal experiences and advocacy.

Hi, my name is Chris van den Broek, and I am a campaign marketing manager within Higher Education. Outside of work, I love walking my dog in the forest, going out for dinner and travelling. I have only been with Pearson since November ’23 and quickly joined Spectrum as an ERG. Everyone at Spectrum is friendly and it feels great to be part of a friendly bunch that highlights our voice within the organisation. And with Pride here, I wanted to share some of my experiences.

Pride means a lot to me as I am lucky to have grown up in the Netherlands, where gay marriage has been allowed since 2001 and in a 2013 poll, 85% of the population was in support of same-sex marriage. Now, this privilege is not a given everywhere, and there are 64 countries where there are laws to criminalise homosexuality, so if you can, go out and celebrate pride and let our voices be heard. Pride is all about acceptance and equality. It’s also a good opportunity to raise awareness for issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community.

Also, did you know that Pride came from L. Craig Schoonmaker, who in 2015 said the following:

“A lot of people were very repressed; they were conflicted internally and didn't know how to come out and be proud. That's how the movement was most useful, because they thought, 'Maybe I should be proud.”

So, this year, if you are going out to celebrate Pride, be proud of who you are and how the LGBTQ+ community has evolved since the first Pride was held in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles in 1970 (following the Stonewall Riots in 1969). Have a great pride wherever you are celebrating.