Our right-wing enemies have tried everything from banning drag shows and LGBTQ-themed books to barring affirming healthcare for trans youth. ![]() But the last two years have demonstrated the fragility of all that progress as state legislators across the country have introduced hundreds of bills aimed at rolling back our progress. That activity triggered a wave of progress, from affirming state legislation, to out political leaders and celebrities, and ultimately to our first federal legal protections and eventually marriage equality. “It ushered in a lot of political activity.” “AIDS shaped my perspective on how a community can come together and influence local, state, and national lawmakers,” he said. Gennette added that living through the worst of AIDS in one of the hardest-hit cities ultimately proved cathartic because of the activism that resulted. Many people I worked with at Macy’s were lost to AIDS, you just couldn’t get away from it. “My husband lost his first two lovers to AIDS. “When you lived in the Castro through the ‘80s, it was difficult you had a community that was just being decimated by the scourge of AIDS and losing friends,” he recalls. Gennette talks solemnly about those years in ‘80s San Francisco. Chief among those challenges, perhaps, was AIDS. My husband was more of an activist than I was my head was down doing my work at Macy’s.”įigures like Gennette have become accidental activists, helping to open minds - and board rooms - to future LGBTQ workers and executives who may never fully understand the challenges faced by previous generations. “I’m an introvert,” he said, “I never saw myself as a visible role model. “As the LGBTQ+ community navigates a national state of emergency and faces an onslaught of targeted attacks, having the representation, leadership and support of such dedicated LGBTQ+ advocates fortifies our strength in this fight for freedom and equality,” said Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson in a statement announcing Gennette’s award.ĭespite the accolade, Gennette seems uncomfortable with the term “activist” and never would have predicted that he would become an important figure for LGBTQ visibility in corporate America. 2 and it’s fitting that his final appointment on his final week is to attend the Human Rights Campaign’s Greater New York Dinner on Saturday where he will be honored with the HRC Corporate Visibility Award for his “unwavering dedication to bolstering LGBTQ+ inclusivity in business.” His last day at Macy’s will be Friday, Feb. “I get a lot of energy from that and will take that into my next chapter.” Gennette cites two professional accomplishments of which he’s most proud: leading Macy’s out of the retail-killing pandemic with a stronger balance sheet than before COVID and helping to create the various DEI programs that foster an inclusive, healthy culture at the sprawling company. ![]() “That’s a clear passion of mine,” he said. ![]() He and husband Geoff Welch plan to take a few months to think through what’s next and how they might play a role in the LGBTQ movement. When pressed, Gennette said he’s not yet sure what that looks like but, “I want to be in the fight,” perhaps in the philanthropic and donor space. We know our experience is not everyone’s experience and we’re in a position to be able to do something.” “Department store retail is not for the faint of heart and my husband and I have been so fortunate. “LGBTQ rights are under attack now and I want to be in that arena - and not as a leader of a public company,” he said when asked about his future plans. Now, after 40 years at Macy’s, including seven as CEO, that began with a management training program in 1983, Gennette, 62, is sitting down exclusively with the Washington Blade in a conference room in New York and reflecting on all the progress he’s seen the country make on LGBTQ rights and insisting he wants to stay involved in the fight.
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