Phillips 66 celebrates Pride Month, promotes acceptance

It was a poignant question: What would you have done differently to help your LGBTQ+ child? The answer came with tears.

“The one thing I would change is to make sure she didn’t feel alone on an island,” said Melissa Shull, PTP Specialist and ECM Coordinator at the Belle Chasse Terminal. “If I could go back, things would have happened differently because we’re more aware of people’s feelings now than 15 years ago.”

The discussion was part of a virtual panel organized by the Pride Network featuring employees who are parents of LGBTQ+ children, one of many events in June that celebrated Pride Month.

In Houston, rainbow colors lit up headquarters in a symbolic and highly visible representation of the company’s support for LGBTQ+ employees.

Phillips 66 employees also participated in Pride parades in Houston and Tulsa. A company-wide “virtual parade” also took place, allowing employees to post photos to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community.

Other events included a monthlong fundraiser for the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ young people. Phillips 66 concluded Pride Month with an event at Sweeny Refinery featuring author and diversity-training expert Jess Pettitt. The event is a partnership between the Pride Network and the company’s Inclusion & Diversity Week.

“Phillips 66 is proud to celebrate Pride Month with a myriad of activities, from parades to key speaking events, all intentionally selected by the Pride Network,” said Senior Advisor of Inclusion and Diversity Yeni Ortega. “We want LGBTQ+ employees to feel valued as part of a diverse workforce that helps our company succeed.”

Earlier this year, Phillips 66 notched a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index for the second year in a row, reflecting the company’s ongoing commitment to workplace equality for LGBTQ+ employees.

At the parent panel, Instrumentation & Electrical Supervisor Bob Wynn said he was pleasantly surprised at the reaction from co-workers at the Santa Maria Refinery after his daughter came out as transgender.

“I told them I am the father of a transgender child,” he said. “To my surprise, I got a lot of support.”

Wynn said he values the company’s efforts to embrace LGBTQ+ employees.

“I am extremely proud to work for Phillips 66 because of its stance on this issue,” he said.