This month, as you travel around the city, you may notice rainbow flags and decorations everywhere—symbols of the celebration of Pride Month, a significant time when people around the world come together to raise awareness of the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community.
For us at Bitkub Capital Group, as our business has grown from just a handful of employees to over a thousand today, we’ve welcomed people from increasingly diverse backgrounds. Last year, my team asked me about my views on gender identity, self-expression, and workplace attire. My answer was simple: “If we judge people based on their gender, we may lose some of the most talented individuals.” In truth, gender identity, sexual orientation, or expression should never be a limitation in the workplace.
Although Bitkub began as a small group of men passionate about cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, over the past four years, our success has been shaped by the contributions of people of diverse backgrounds, including the LGBTQIA+ community.
In my view, a company should always be a safe space for everyone. Modern organizations should embrace diversity and equality, offering opportunities for employment and advancement without bias. We must foster a culture free from prejudice—where anyone, regardless of gender, can work in any role, receive fair promotions and salary increases based on ability, and rise to leadership positions. At Bitkub, it doesn’t matter who you are—if you have the skills, you can be a developer, software engineer, legal expert, accountant, customer service representative, marketer, PR officer, business developer, cybersecurity specialist, operations staff, or even a senior executive.
Moreover, companies should provide a space where LGBTQIA+ individuals feel free to express themselves—including through the way they dress—so they can feel confident, proud of who they are, and truly happy at work.
This year, as we take another step forward, my team and I recognize that supporting diversity and inclusion within our organization alone is not enough. We must also participate in civil society, serving as both a voice and an example for other organizations—showing how inclusivity and equal opportunity can bring about powerful, positive change. Businesses must respect human rights. Good entrepreneurs should help drive social agendas that create equality for all. With this in mind, this year Bitkub supported the “Bangkok Naruemit Pride 2022 Parade”, organized by Bangkok Pride, LGBTQIA+ activists, community networks, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, private sector partners, and political parties. The event celebrated Pride Month while raising LGBTQIA+ rights to the national stage, calling for recognition of differences without division. Our employees were actively involved, and both my fellow executives and I were proud to support their participation. Beyond symbolic gestures, we also opened up our central city space, Bitkub M Social at EmQuartier, throughout Pride Month to host Pride Voice forums—conversations led by the LGBTQIA+ community and civil society groups. Our goal was to create a platform for dialogue, discussion, and debate on key social issues, to move toward sustainable solutions.
We also celebrated by showcasing winners of the Universe Is U competition and young participants from the Bitkub ICON program on billboards nationwide, honoring them and highlighting the importance of “opportunity and equality.”
Finally, on June 8, the Marriage Equality Bill will return to Parliament. I want to add my voice in calling on our national leaders to recognize the fundamental human right to love, marry, and build a family—regardless of gender.
Wishing everyone a joyful and meaningful Pride Month.
Topp Jirayut Srupsrisopa
Founder & Group CEO Bitkub Capital Group Holdings Co., Ltd.