The bus took us to Monster, where I jumped up on the bar and offered everyone a round of drinks on me.Įarlier this year, I signed a letter alongside 20 other global leaders highlighting what businesses can do to support a more LGBT+ inclusive world. Virgin Holidays is a great example to show how business can impact change - launching two ground-breaking initiatives to make the Caribbean region more inclusive. We then carried on our bar crawl and hopped on a Heels on Wheels glass bus to have a dance with Courtney Act, Ginger Minj, Billy Porter and Deborah Cox. I stopped by to thank some of their First Mates for all their hard work and then headed over to Boxers in Chelsea to get up on stage and announce that Atlantis Events has chartered Scarlet Lady for an LGBTQ+ sailing next year. It’s also wonderful to see that spirit growing with one of our newer Virgin companies, Virgin Voyages. Hearing about the antics onboard the Pride Flight brought back memories of the inaugural flight and how hard we celebrated – and I’m so thrilled that Virgin Atlantic has kept hold of that spirit to this day. New York City holds a special place in my heart as it was the first city Virgin Atlantic flew to 35 years ago. Open and inclusive societies are more competitive, creative and innovative. I strongly believe in making our businesses as inclusive and welcoming as possible. LGBT+ discrimination is not just bad from a human rights perspective, it’s also bad for business.