Our PRIDE bag

Each June, in honor of Pride Month, Tel Aviv celebrates the LGBTQI community with a series of events across the city. The festivities attract thousands of participants from both Israel and abroad, with the highlight being the Pride Parade on June 14th. Tel Aviv's Pride Parade has the reputation of being the largest in the Middle East and one of the 10 largest Pride parades in the world. This year however was the largest Tel Aviv has seen with a quarter of a million people attending.

For us, however, the Parade isn’t just about parades and parties, it's about taking part. For us, being involved with such an event is about loving the LGBTQI community. It's about the LGBTQI community being visible, safe and belonging, to a community, a town, a city, a nation, and the world.

Flying flags that celebrate each of the LGBTQI communities is primarily an act of visibility however we believe more can be done. Hello PRIDE bag. We partnered with the Aguda and designed the co-branded PRIDE bag that was sold at the Parade. The decision to come together in creating the co-branded PRIDE bag emphasizes that we speak the language of love and respect. Here at KitePride, we employ men, women, transgender and any other gender that belong to and identify with the LGBTQI community. Our mission here is to provide jobs for those exiting human trafficking and modern-day slavery.

Within the LGBTQI community, specifically for transgenders, finding a job is often a huge issue due to factors such as discrimination, workplace bias, etc. Extreme levels of unemployment and poverty lead one in eight to become involved in underground economies—such as prostitution and drug work—in order to survive and finance themselves for the opportunity to feel most comfortable with their body. According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, more than one in four transgender people have lost a job due to bias, and more than three-fourths have experienced some form of workplace discrimination. Refusal to hire, privacy violations, harassment, and even physical and sexual violence on the job are common occurrences. Many people report changing jobs to avoid discrimination or the risk of discrimination.

KitePride was founded on the notion that people involved in such industries wanted to leave however could not due to reasons such as financial debt, trauma, lack of skills or education. By providing jobs, we are able to become a solution to the ongoing and growing problem of those who are oppressed based on their gender.

This is why the partnership between the Aguda represents so much more than just a bag. It encourages, and simply promotes our love and ongoing support for one another. It's about the LGBTQI community knowing that we are a workplace that is welcoming. So, the next time you see a KitePride bag, wear it proudly knowing that through every purchase, you enable continuous employment and support.