Billionaire LGBT champions: Michael Kors to Apple’s CEO Tim Cook, the ultra-rich who have made big dollar donations to social causes
To celebrate Pride Month, STYLE is paying tribute to the wealthy supporters who have donated millions towards LGBT causes – from fashion designer Michael Kors and Hollywood mogul David Geffen to Jennifer Pritzker, the world’s first transgender billionaire
Across the world, the fight for LGBTQ+ rights continues. Some countries have made significant progress; recently, the US Supreme Court ruled that the 1964 Civil Rights Law protects LGBTQ+ workers from being fired for their sexual orientation and gender identity.
LGBTQ+ rights are now a force to be reckoned with, but remains a cause that needs vital support and awareness building from pillars of business and philanthropy. Here are five people who have ploughed millions of dollars into the causes they believe in.
Jon Stryker (Net Worth: US$3.5 billion)
His grandfather Homer Stryker, an orthopaedic surgeon, founded the Stryker corporation, which sold US$13.6 billion worth of medical equipment in 2018, according to Forbes. Jon is the president and founder of Arcus Foundation, which works to advance both social equality and the conservation of apes. LGBTQ+ newspaper Washington Blade reports that Arcus has given US$54.8 million to LGBTQ+ organisations and small programmes, making it one of the largest LGBTQ+ donors in the world.
Tim Cook (Net Worth: US$625 million)
The CEO of Apple was the first openly gay leader of a Fortune 500 company. He welcomed the recent Supreme Court decision. “LGBTQ+ people deserve equal treatment in the workplace and throughout society,” Cook said in a tweet.
Aside from his vocal support for workplace equality, he donated an undisclosed amount to Project One America, an LGBTQ+ Equality campaign in Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi in 2014. Last year, he chipped in US$5 million to an unnamed charity.