colleagues-at-csd-berlin-pride-parade
People
Aug 3, 2018

Colleagues at CSD Berlin Pride Parade

GetYourGuide
Careers Team

Last Saturday a handful of GetYourGuide employees went to the Berlin Pride Parade called Christopher Street Day (CSD) as a group. We caught up with some of them to talk about their experience of going with colleagues and their impression of the day.

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The 28th of July marked the 40th anniversary of the annual Berlin CSD Parade. This year’s theme was “My Body, My Identity, My Life”. Pride parades are usually events celebrating achievements for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning people or serve as demonstrations for legal rights.

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At the Berlin CSD Parade
Parade in full force

A group of GetYourGuide employees met up in the morning to prepare for the parade together and catch up with colleagues they might not talk to regularly. After a few hours, they set off to Nollendorfplatz to watch the parade under the hot Berlin sun, which kept the temperature steadily around 30*C.
We asked a few of them to share their experiences with Pride and why they chose to go with a group of coworkers.

“I’ve participated in pride parades before in New York City and San Francisco. I knew I was going, it was just a matter of with whom. GYG seemed to be the most reliable way for me to go as other friends weren’t sure if they would because of the heat. I am super happy I went with a fun group of like-minded people. Even if it was hard to keep track of everyone sometimes”
-       Sarah Varki, Senior Product Manager.

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Face painting in action
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Rainbow face painting
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Happy faces
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Rainbow flag flying high

“This was my first ever Pride and definitely won't be my last! I wanted to experience Berlin Pride with a bunch of fun, open, crazy, diverse, and likeminded people and the GYG team ticks all those boxes. I had an incredible day seeing all forms of identity expression and people proud to live their truths. It was inspiring to be with a crowd that was standing up for their rights as a community and honoring the history of the LGBTQ+ movement. The whole atmosphere was so welcoming, supportive, and full of love. And what a party!”
-       Emily Cumming, Recruitment Coordinator.

“I’ve been to Pride before in New York, LA, London, San Francisco, Berlin, and Cologne. I thought it would be a great way to both enjoy Pride and also spend time with people I might not normally spend time with. It was great to see how inclusive it was, with not just LGBTQ people there - the city came out to celebrate - and it felt very inclusive of all sexualities.
Berlin Pride also has extra meaning as a place where once homosexuality was a death sentence and now it is celebrated openly without any shame or judgment. The world has come so far. There are elements out there trying to turn the clock back across the world and it is important to show the joy and togetherness that this kind of event can bring to the city.”
-       Philip Ferentinos, Destination Manager.

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The team with rainbow merch
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Laughter and joy
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Exciting stuff at the parade
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Group photo

“This was my first Pride parade. I liked that we were a totally random group and I would get the chance to spend time with colleagues I don't usually see at work. The day was cheerful, diverse, free, fun, and very, very hot. Literally and figuratively.”
-       Alex Merkl, Personal Assistant.

“It was not my first time at a Pride event, I've also been to Amsterdam. I wanted to enjoy the event with fun and like-minded people and this group ticked those boxes! Everyone was happy, it was sunny with a lot of acceptance and body positivity. Plus, it's amazing that there were so many people enjoying themselves to support such a positive and important message.”
-       Magali Bil, Recruitment Coordinator.

“This was my first time to attend Pride in Berlin. I’ve been to San Francisco Pride before. I love our GetYourGuide team! From our team diversity to how fun people are. Anything that I can do to be more inclusive and support our diverse team members is important to me. It was so much fun, I Ioved the energy, and I really liked that Sarah brought face paint and made everyone beautiful! I felt included and felt like everyone else felt the same. We all had a great time.”
-       Jennifer Loh, Destination Manager.

Read up on our company values here.

Thanks to Emily and Jennifer for sharing their pictures of the day.
Thanks to Emily and Jennifer for sharing their pictures of the day.

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