I like to think of myself as a work in progress. I hope we all are.
Over the past few years, I’ve worked hard to be a better ally. I strive to be more conscious, more aware, quieter and louder at the same time. I work to listen, to recognize it’s OK that some conversations and experiences aren’t about me, aren’t for me. I’ve learned silence can be as hurtful as words.
I’m not a perfect ally. No one is. And I recognize that even here in this blog post, there will be imperfections, unintentional oversights and signs of my white, Midwestern, cis, straight privilege.
But I know there are people around me who will gently (or not so) point these out, and I’ll continue to evolve to help others experience the same privileges and rights I’m afforded.
And one of those privileges is owning a company that can amplify messages. It’s having the skills and resources to demand change, the desire to understand, the means to band together. I can lend my voice and my company’s voice to stand with the LGBTQ community — during Pride month and every day.
To our LGBTQ family, friends and community: We see you. We hear you. We value you. We respect you. We stand with you. We stand beside you. We have your back.
There’s no perfect allyship. The role is as unique as every individual in every marginalized community. But we don’t have to be perfect to push toward a more perfect union.
There are lots of articles, by more eloquent writers than I, on how to be a better ally, so I’m not going to wax poetic here. But I am going to say do SOMETHING. The complicated, crucial, painful celebration that is Pride is rooted in struggle and defiance, so let it remind you – remind us all – the fight is far from over.
You don’t have to be a perfect to be an ally, but you do have to be. Do and act and speak and listen. During Pride, and every day. And for those already doing, we say thank you, as imperfect a recognition as it may be.
