Apple was out in force yesterday as Tim Cook and 8,000 Apple employees participated in Sunday’s 43rd Annual Gay Pride Parade in San Francisco, following last week’s historic Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage across the U.S.
Apple employees carried LGBT rainbow flags as they took to the streets — considerably outnumbering the hundreds of employees from other tech companies such as Google, Facebook, Uber, and others.
“Great to celebrate with over 8,000 Apple employees, friends and families. Happy Pride everyone!” Tim Cook tweeted, adding the hashtag #applepride.
Other prominent Apple employees who marched in the parade included Phil Schiller and Apple’s VP of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives Lisa P. Jackson.
Apple has been a long-time supporter of gay rights, although this has stepped up in recent years under the leadership of Cook, who remains the world’s only openly-gay Fortune 500 CEO.
Cook has previously penned opinion pieces for The Wall Street Journal urging Congress to approve a bill designed to “protect workers against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity,” and even has an anti-discrimination bill named after himself.
Last week it was announced that Apple’s ResearchKit will power the world’s largest medical research project into the health needs of the LGBT population.
Walked with the Apple team for Gay Pride in SF. Great energy pic.twitter.com/IGRSVopb0H
— Karen Mohr (@kxmohr) June 29, 2015
Apple at sf gay pride parade pic.twitter.com/YoSnAZypKg
— dan tynan (@tynanwrites) June 28, 2015
All those white tee shirts? Apple employees. @SFPride #SFPride pic.twitter.com/lhKc9mBD7Z — ¡Gabe Ortíz! (@TUSK81) June 28, 2015
In San Fran watching gay pride parade & Apple shows up with btwn 5&10,000 employees all wearing matching rainbow… pic.twitter.com/cZdy1i0l6B — Dylan Neal (@DylanNealStudio) June 28, 2015
Can’t wash my hand now @tim_cook liked our shirts! #applepride #LoveCantWait #loveislove pic.twitter.com/h9fIxqWacD
— Selina Chang (@selina_chang) June 28, 2015
It really is an Infinite Loop. #ApplePride #SFPride pic.twitter.com/1aWIfV3KGC
— Matthew Herbst (@MattHerbst_) June 28, 2015