Ralph Lauren, Macy's Honored for LGBT Youth Support

The department store Macy's and designer Ralph Lauren are among the companies and individuals being honored for their work with LGBT youth at the Hetrick-Martin Institute's Emery Awards Thursday in New York.

The Emery Awards, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, honors those who contribute resources to LGBT youth. Ralph Lauren was honored for providing Hetrick-Martin, which operates Manhattan's Harvey Milk high school and offers services to New York's LGBT teens and youth, a new logo and marketing materials. The fashion house also offered Hetrick-Martin-affiliated youth opportunities to work alongside Ralph Lauren designers in creating evening dresses and a tote bag. Macy's has provided numerous financial grants and volunteer programs for LGBT youth.

"We like to think that we are a retail organization that serves the LGBTQ community very well," Macy's chief merchandising officer Jeff Gennette told Women's Wear Daily. "The main reason we do that is because they are part of America, and we are America's department store." Read more here.