Thank you, Allies. Happy Pride, 2021.

It is June, and like many of you, I have seen the logos of many companies here on LinkedIn switch from standard brand colors to rainbows in support of pride. As someone who is a part of the LGBTQ community, it is great to see the support grow since the start of my professional career.

The topic of pride is something I have struggled with- not knowing how to support other LGBTQ colleagues, assessing my own comfort level of how much personal information I wanted to be open about in the work environment, and truthfully, if I was truly a part of the community that was being celebrated. Since I came out, I have had a fairly even experience when it comes to topics of inclusion & diversity- no huge bumps, bruises, or scars… a few hiccups and corrections, but nothing major. Over the past year, I did some digging into how I can be more of an advocate and made a few realizations.

One: thank you to my allies. I realized since I first came out, I have had an army of support from straight allies who advocated for me, educated less open-minded colleagues, marched in a parade to show support, and made me feel comfortable to be who I am.

More specifically, thank you to my colleagues who accepted celebrated me when I didn’t wear a ball gown to the awards dinner when the rest of the woman did.

Thank you to Brittany for hanging back with me on the sidewalk when I wasn’t quite ready to really be in the parade or join all the parties.

Thank you to Matt, Barbie, Ashley, and so many other friends for letting me cry it out when I was scared of what people would think of me when I first came out.

Thank you to my colleagues who threw me a wedding shower at work and didn’t call my wife my partner, but my fiancée, and later my wife (because it is legal to be known as such).

Thank you to my many managers who questioned feedback and ways of working with me when it felt biased or less inclusive from other co-workers.

Two: When I say I struggle with pride, it is not a negative, but rather me finding the right words for my feelings. I have told many people, I feel fortunate that I have wonderful friends- both gay and straight. There has always been an assumption that if you are LGBTQ that you are an encyclopedia for all things on the topic of inclusion and diversity. The reality is that I have lots to learn as well- on gender, on sexual orientation, on race, on and on. I have watched the same Upworthy-esque posts since the start of the month. It breaks my heart to see people who have been disowned by family, turned down for jobs, or even worse, harmed or threatened for being who they are- this is a pain I have not felt firsthand. Which brings me to my next point.

Three: My friends and family have been amazing. The confidence I have built because of their support has enabled me to be who I am and wake up feeling confident in who I am. It is not that I don’t face bias or encounter a colleague here and there who I know is judging me because I am gay… it is that I know I have an army of support, and my own courage to not let it bog me down.

In closing- thank you to my allies, my family, and my friends. The key learning for me this Pride 2021 is that I am beyond fortunate and I want to support anyone who is not in the same boat- who is struggling, who feels alone, or feels like they are not worthy of being treated equally. I went through the self-doubt, the stereotypes, and now am in a place of confidence and pride. The world is not perfect and never will be, but I do believe we can connect as people and not just accept each other, but accept and respect.

Happy Pride, all!