与”+同事和盟友的骄傲月圆桌会议
作为中国移民的女儿, I remember facing prejudice while growing up in the Central Valley of California. These memories, paired 与 more recent experiences, have instilled in me the importance of allyship.
作为平等和包容的盟友, I feel one of the most important actions I can take is to learn from the experiences of different communities and cultures. 本着这种精神, I want to share some insights from a recent discussion I had 与 some of my ”+ colleagues and allies. 以下同事分享了他们的声音:
How have you felt visible and celebrated by your colleagues or clients as an ”+ professional?
克里斯: Colleagues supported me both formally and informally when coming out, 通过分享支持的话语, 保证我有我需要的资源, 通过参加正确使用代词的培训. Colleagues and clients alike celebrated my ”+ visibility through words and actions. It opened the door for me to fully be myself and be even more effective in my roles at lovesport爱博体育.
温蒂: While I have been part of organizations w她的e I felt that being ”+ was only tolerated, lovesport爱博体育庆祝”+社区. 五年前婚姻平等法案通过的时候, our CEO Mike Burke immediately congratulated and celebrated 与 our ”+ staff. When you are free to come out of the shadows and be your true and whole self, 你的潜力无限.
What ”+ professional organizations or internal lovesport爱博体育 groups are you involved 与 and what have you found are the benefits of being involved in this organization?
斯蒂芬: I am an avid supporter of AIDS Lifecycle (ALC) and have ridden in four rides raising over $65,000, 得到了lovesport爱博体育同事的大力支持. This collaboration 与 ALC inspired me to sponsor a workshop at my high school in Pennsylvania in which the campus ”+ group collaborated 与 the athletic department. 这个项目对我来说非常私人. 当我还是高中运动员的时候, I knew I was gay but felt the pressure of social norms to hide part of myself in the closet and leave part of my potential on the sidelines.
克里斯蒂安: 我是lovesport爱博体育旧金山包容计划的积极成员 & 多样性(我&D)委员会并参加全国I&D组. By being involved, I amplify my voice and the voices of those who feel less able to speak out. 我很幸运能遇见, 跟, and learn from incredibly inspiring individuals who remind me how important it is to look beyond our communities and support each ot她的.
What are lessons learned that we can draw upon from the LBGTQ+ movement?
斯蒂芬: My generation of the ”+ movement stands on the shoulders of those who came before us to fight for the right to be out. The great freedom I’ve been granted to pursue my career and personal life 与out prejudice requires I work hard to be a visible symbol showing that any ”+ professional can achieve his, 她的, 或者他们的目标.
克里斯蒂安: ”+运动的关键转折点, 比如发生在康普顿自助餐厅和石墙旅馆的暴乱, saw disproportionate representation by trans people and people of color. Because of these members of our community, many of us have the freedoms we do today. We must stand 与 ot她的s who face discrimination and against violence toward them.
克里斯: We have made a lot of progress worth celebrating and t她的e is still more work to do. 黑人的声音需要在”+群体中得到进一步放大. Visibility of our trans and nonbinary fellows are also especially key. 争取平等的努力并没有随着婚姻平等而结束, 它主要以白人为中心并使其受益. 这场运动将永远需要倾听的盟友的帮助, 跟随”+人群的脚步, 在合作中发挥力量 与 我们要产生积极的变化.
玛丽莎”+群体也有美, being a vast one and filled 与 overlapping and distinct issues and opportunities. It is represented by a series of letters, acknowledging the differences of the community at large. 现在有一个+符号，表示包容性. Furt她的more, characteristics such as race, generation, nationality, profession, etc. 每一种都微妙地影响着人的生活经历. 作为盟友, it’s essential to recognize unique points of view and be aware that gender identities and expressions partially inform these points of view. 我们也必须拥有我们的成长和教育. 正如克里斯所说的那样, it’s not up to our ”+ teammates to expend the mental and emotional energy to teach us when t她的e are resources available. Our conversations will be much more fruitful if they don’t have to explain the basics first.