Since 2023, Out @ L’Oréal has gained strength in Spain and Portugal as an employee resource group (ERG) committed to the visibility and well-being of the LGTBIQ+ community within the corporate environment. We chatted with Elvira Pinedo, its ambassador and director of operations and data analysis of the group, to learn how this initiative is transforming the company culture from within, with real actions, visible references and a firm commitment to authenticity.
How did Out@L’Oréal come about and what motivated its creation within the group?
Out@L’Oréal was born in 2017 in the United States with the aim of guaranteeing an inclusive and respectful work environment for people of the LGTBIQ+ collective. It is a global program that has been progressively implemented in various countries of the Group. It arrived in Spain and Portugal in 2023.
We wanted to take our commitment to diversity a step further, ensuring not only the existence of inclusive policies, but also a culture that celebrates and supports the authenticity of each person within the company. The most enriching thing is that this project is led by an internal tribe of collaborators, committed people who drive the initiatives from within, contributing their experience, vision and enthusiasm.
What concrete support does L’Oréal provide to the Out@L’Oréal group so that its initiatives are carried out in a real and effective way?
The program is born directly from L’Oréal’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, values that are part of the company’s DNA. From the first moment, Out@L’Oréal has had the active support of the organization, not only in symbolic terms, but also with concrete resources that allow real and sustained actions to be carried out over time. We are talking not only about the time dedicated by the teams, but also about the financial resources that support all our activities, from the visible presence in Pride actions and training and activation activities, to the support programs for the brands’ collective. As someone very involved in this project, I can say that this support translates into a visible participation of the company in key causes for the LGTBIQ+ collective, as well as in the promotion of initiatives led by our brands, which share the same vision and are committed to a coherent, deep and long-term commitment. It is a way to ensure that inclusion is not just a speech, but a living practice inside and outside the company.
How do you perceive the LGTBIQ+ community lives and feels within L’Oréal? Is there a safe environment and real trust to express yourself freely?
The LGTBIQ+ community within L’Oréal is experiencing a very positive transformation, but we are also aware that there is still some way to go. There are still many people who, for different reasons, continue to feel invisible or without the freedom to speak naturally about such everyday aspects as their partner. They do not feel safe enough to understand that expressing themselves freely will have no consequences, and this self-imposed forced silence forces many to hide and pretend, which has a direct impact on their well-being.
Out@L’Oréal was born precisely to break that silence and show that L’Oréal is a safe environment, where each person can show themselves as they are, without fear or filters. It is a way of returning dignity and truth to the people of the group, allowing them to live authentically at work as well. When this happens, it shows: the teams are happier, they feel more comfortable and fulfilled, and that translates into a better work environment and greater creativity and collaboration.
Initiatives like this not only support the LGTBIQ+ community, but also help build a more human, empathetic and inclusive culture for everyone. That is the true engine of change.
What type of actions or activities have you carried out so far from Out@L’Oréal and which do you think have had the greatest impact?
We have held numerous internal training sessions from which more than 500 employees have benefited and which address various topics, such as the use of inclusive language, drag culture, lesbian visibility and the most recent one, in which we address the equal marriage law, which as As you well know, he will be 20 years old in 2025. They are very diverse topics, which we discuss with the help of experts and personalities who collaborate with us and share their personal testimonies with us.
We have worked hand in hand with the FELGTBI+ (State Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Trans, Bisexuals, Intersexuals) on the company’s LGTBIQ+ equality plan, ensuring that we meet the best conditions and action plans for the LGTBIQ+ collective. We have also taken OUT to other environments outside the doors of L’Oréal Groupe, to inspire other companies, participating in human resources forums, in which we have shared the testimony of collaborators and how diversity strengthens us and makes us feel tremendously proud to belong to a company with these values.
Participation in Pride in Madrid since 2023 has been a key milestone for us. It is a moment of collective joy that transcends borders, ages and genders. The streets are filled with positive energy and color. Being able to share this experience with the support of L’Oréal Groupe is, without a doubt, a pride and a privilege.
This is a very special moment for OUT, which generates enormous expectation and interest among our collaborators. Those who have experienced Pride with friends or family know how exciting it is to walk the streets of Madrid in an atmosphere of absolute respect and diversity. Participating from a float or walking with your companions is an unforgettable experience. Every year we receive more and more requests to be part of this celebration.
What actions do you have planned as your agenda for the remainder of 2025?
We are preparing a very special activation that, for the first time, we want to take outside our headquarters and carry out in the Burgos factory. November is the month of LGTBIQ+ people in science, and in Spain we are lucky to have one of the group’s factories, an international benchmark in scientific innovation and sustainability.
In this plant we produce products for brands such as Kérastase, for everyone, and more than 500 employees work there who, in many cases, do not have in-person access to the training or awareness initiatives that we carry out in Madrid. Therefore, we believe that this is a key opportunity to bring our values of diversity and inclusion also closer to the industrial environment.
In addition, we are exploring dates to resume a very special activity that the FELGTBIQ+ proposed to us a long time ago: a guided route through the Chueca neighborhood, which covers the most emblematic places of the group throughout history. An educational and transformative experience.
The important thing is to continue promoting spaces for meeting, reflection and learning, which allow us to talk about the issues that affect the LGTBIQ+ group and make visible our commitment to inclusion, at all levels of the organization.
How do you get people not directly linked to the group to participate in your activities and become real allies?
Getting people who do not directly belong to the group to join as allies is one of our main objectives. We are aware that true cultural change is achieved when inclusion becomes a shared cause. What we try is to create spaces for listening, learning and empathy, where anyone can approach without fear of making mistakes or not knowing.
Many times, what is missing is not will, but information or references. For this reason, we organize open activities, training, talks and internal campaigns that invite us to reflect, break stereotypes and better understand the realities experienced by LGTBIQ+ people.
In addition, we put a lot of focus on showing that being an ally does not mean having all the answers, but rather being willing to learn, support and act when necessary. And when people feel they can take part without judgment, they engage authentically. That is the key to making Out@L’Oréal not just a collective initiative, but a movement of the entire organization.
How does L’Oréal control LGTBIQphobic violence within the company and what mechanisms exist to defend rights when it happens?
At L’Oréal we have clear and strict policies to prevent any type of violence or discrimination, including LGTBIQphobic, within the company. These policies are part of our code of conduct and are regularly communicated to everyone who works with us.
In addition, we have confidential and accessible channels so that any employee can report situations of harassment or discrimination without fear of retaliation. These cases are investigated seriously and quickly, guaranteeing protection and support for the affected person.
I would like to emphasize that training is an essential tool to prevent LGTBIQphobic violence within the company. It is not enough to have policies; It is crucial that all people understand what behaviors are unacceptable and how they can contribute to an environment free of violence and discrimination.
What measures does the company take to prevent “microaggressions at the coffee machine” that, although they do not always occur in front of LGTBIQ+ people, sustain structural discrimination?
At L’Oréal we are very aware that microaggressions, those small comments or attitudes that sometimes go unnoticed, can have a very negative impact and perpetuate an environment of exclusion, even when they do not occur directly in front of LGTBIQ+ people. For this reason, we actively work to raise awareness among the entire workforce about this type of behavior and to promote a culture of respect and empathy in all spaces, including informal spaces such as the coffee machine.
The objective is that inclusion is not just a formal commitment, but a daily and authentic practice that transforms both what is said and what is felt in every corner of the company.
What motivated you to get involved as an Out@L’Oréal ambassador and what have you learned about yourself along the way?
Being an ambassador was, from the beginning, a personal commitment. I immediately felt the need to join activism. Despite progress, the weight of homophobia is still present in our society, and heteronormativism continues to be dominant in many spaces.
Coming out is not a single moment, but a process that is repeated over and over again throughout life. The lack of visible references in areas such as business, public administration or sports has a profound impact on the construction of identity.
Taking on the role of ambassador is a declaration of intent. It is a way to save other people the fear, loneliness and time of not having been who they really are. Speaking from personal experience humanizes the path and allows others to feel identified, accompanied and, above all, less alone.
Are there visible LGTBIQ+ people in senior positions within L’Oréal and what impact do you think that visibility has for the rest of the workforce?
Without a doubt, and they are also ambassadors and allies of this cause. I can cite you concrete examples, such as Michael Kienle, Global VP of Talent, who actively positions himself in LinkedIn to help make L’Oréal Groupe’s commitment to diversity visible.
Rainbow Questions
- Who is your queer reference and why? I feel like I didn’t have references, which is always something I’ve missed. Yes, I realize that now there are people who influence me and I believe that they are references for new generations, such as Nerea Perez de las Heras, because she seems to me to be a visible person, with whom I share values and through her activism contributes to the construction of a diverse society
- If your life had an activist slogan embroidered on a t-shirt, what would it be? Don’t choose between being happy or doing what is expected of you! Be happy
- When did you feel freest in your skin? The day I accepted myself and removed the guilt and pressure of feeling responsible for the well-being of my loved ones because of the expectations they had of me.
- Which everyday queer superpower do you stick with? Empathy is a super power that makes a person unique and someone you want to be close to.
🌟 Visibility, action and pride: change is also born at work
Out @ L’Oréal is not just an internal group: it is a movement that transforms corporate culture through real commitment. From internal training to presence at Pride, through the visibility of references, this initiative led by people like Elvira Pinedo demonstrates that inclusion cannot be a slogan. It must be a daily practice, visible and brave, in every decision and in every space.
