Today, a new community partnership between Dublin Bus, Do Dublin and LGBT Ireland was revealed. It will include an incredible Pride campaign ‘By My Side This Pride,’ to show support for members of the LGBTQ+ community.

The campaign will feature a group of diverse individuals including Dublin Bus employees, LGBT Ireland service users, and the people who supported them throughout their journeys.

Ambassadors for the campaign include best friends Marco Dias and Nadia Funaro. Dias is nonbinary and moved to Ireland from Brazil in search of a more accepting community. They were welcomed immediately by Funaro during college and their friendship has lasted ever since. This relationship assured Dias they made the right decision to move to Ireland and being a part of the Dublin Bus campaign ‘means the world’ to them.

“I will have my face and my best friend’s face around Dublin town representing not only our friendship but the love we have for each other and the acceptance we have for each other,” they said.

Dublin Bus Employee Development and Equality Executive, Vivienne Kavanagh, shares that supporting communities is, “at the heart of what Dublin Bus does.”

“All of us are on a constant journey of learning and we’re really looking forward to bringing the stories of these eight people to Dublin’s streets and beyond through digital. We take great pride in our progressive and pioneering D&I policies at Dublin Bus, and work to ensure all employees and customers feel welcomed and supported,” she added.

We are delighted to partner with @dublinbusnews for their 2022 #ByMySideThisPride campaign. ? https://t.co/x1t1CE0ACe

— LGBT Ireland (@LGBT_ie) June 23, 2022

LGBT Ireland is a national service provider and community organisation that supports LGBTQ+ people across the country. CEO, Paula Fagan, shared that the theme of this year’s Pride festival is ‘Courage’.

“At LGBT Ireland we recognise that every person’s journey is different and it can take courage to reach out for support. We are proud to partner with Dublin Bus who we recognise as a Diversity and Inclusion leader and we look forward to sharing this journey with them,” Fagan said.

Dublin Bus is an organisation of more than 3,700 employees and prides itself on its diversity and inclusion policies and initiatives. In 2017 it established the Workplace Gender Transition Policy and Guidelines for transitioning employees with the help of TENI.

The organisation will continue to support community members during the 2022 Dublin Pride parade. In an effort to improve accessibility and ensure those with mobility issues can participate in the march, the company will be providing two buses to use throughout the event.

Last year, Dublin Bus teamed up with GCN in the partnership, ‘Coming Out With.’ This campaign was a great way to show support for the LGBTQ+ community at a time when Pride festivals and parades could not occur.

‘By My Side This Pride,’ can be found on social media channels now and will be on buses across Dublin.