Did you know that listening to music while running can improve your pace by 15 percent? When I first stumbled upon that research, I was delighted. I love running with headphones in, and I’m always trying to get faster. I was already doing the thing I should be doing, and I would happily keep doing it. And now, armed with a proven study, I excitedly encouraged other runners to do the same.

I had a similar feeling last week when I read about the Supreme Court’s ruling extending the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Specifically, Justice Neil M. Gorsuch said, “An employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender defies the law.” What great news for our country—especially during Pride month! McMul’s nondiscrimination policy has always included sexual orientation (and we’re formally including gender identity and expression this year), so this good news also validates what we’ve already been doing. And more importantly than that, this long-overdue step will help defend millions of people across our country who have not felt protected at their place of employment.

“I can’t say I run while listening to music. And really, I can’t say that I do much running at all—but I can say I feel supported at McMul! Because I’m comfortable and secure in my role, I can fully contribute and excel within the company.” – Steven Clark

Members of the LGBTQ+ community have immeasurably added to McMul over the last twenty-three years. They have taken dense documentation and made it both clear and snazzy. They have listened carefully to clients and pitched samples to better understand their needs. They have improved our internal processes and kept us organized. They have managed our projects, developed impressive eLearning, written proposals and white papers, and so much more. They have added humor, insight, and expertise to our team. They are McMul, and we are so grateful to have them on the team.

“Having faced issues in the workplace before due to my sexual orientation, I am so grateful for the open and accepting culture at McMul.  My wife and I got married only a couple weeks after I started with McMul, and I was nearly brought to tears when a congratulatory bouquet of flowers from McMul showed up at my door.” – Morgan Summers

Suffice to say, the ruling from the Supreme Court isn’t going to change much at McMul. But I’m thrilled for the LGBTQ+ individuals across our country who now have this lawful protection. They are now free to be themselves at work, ultimately improving both their work performance and their quality of life.

“I’ve been lucky enough to avoid much orientation-based discrimination in the workplace. However, being at McMul has shown me that you don’t just have to be tolerated—you can be celebrated at work for your unique experiences and qualities. And that’s not just a result of having great coworkers, but an intrinsic part of this organization from the top down. Although, having a bunch of fabulous coworkers certainly doesn’t hurt either.” – Nolan Williams

We are lucky at McMul: I realize our leadership’s immediate, positive reaction to this ruling might not be shared by all business owners and leaders in the US. Maybe they’ve never tried running while listening to music and worry that it could be distracting or slow them down. For them, I hope this is a first step in seeing that doing the right thing will also help them grow and improve as a company. The incredible mix of our team—and the different backgrounds and perspectives they bring to work—continues to make McMul stronger and faster.