Equus Celebrates Pride Month
Pride Month is a colorful celebration of the LGBTQ+ community held in June each year to honor the Stonewall Uprising of June 1969, which was a catalyst of the modern LGBTQ rights movement. Pride Month is an opportunity to recognize the struggles and honor the achievements of our LGBTQ+ community.
We are excited to celebrate the authenticity and diversity of our Equus team this month; to lift the voices of our LGBTQ+ team members and to stand beside them as allies.
What does it mean to live authentically?
“To me, living authentically means you don’t have to feel shame for something you love; you don’t have to hate yourself for being you. It might even mean to love your most shamefully despised characteristics, for they encompass who you are; that loving act, acknowledges you as a whole person.”
“I realize and appreciate there is a month set aside to celebrate Pride, but it is just one part of who I am and I live it everyday, unapologetically. I have always done so for the most part, Having come of age during the AIDS crisis, I lost friends and watched others be discriminated against horribly. I always figured visibility was the best policy, so I’ve always made myself visible and done by best to be a safe place- and an example.”
“To live with intention. Live every day with measured thought and consternation. Know that each word and action I take has an effect on others, small as it may be.”
“To live authentically is to not hide who you are. I feel safe here at Equus to be me.”
“It is being ourselves, not an imitation of what we think we should be or have been told we should be.”
“To live authentically is to shine, naturally and automatically. As Horace says in Odes, “As shines the moon among the lesser fires.” I think it’s important to continue to shine and light up the world, even (and especially) when others try to invalidate you and who you are. When they attempt to pull you down or cover you up, just continue to be you and shine, and the world will be a brighter place. That is authenticity to me.”
“Being authentic means coming from a real place within. It is being ourselves, not an imitation of what we think we should be or have been told should be. Speaking our options honestly in a healthy way, making decisions that align with our values and beliefs .”
“For me, living authentically means being true to myself and expressing myself as I wish. I used to be nervous in the workplace to be open about who I am, but I’ve learned that if people are uncomfortable by me having a wife and being happy, that is something they need to deal with, not me. Another important factor to me, is educating instead of getting upset. If people have questions or aren’t aware of items within the LGBTQ community, I feel it is so important to take the time to explain my insight and knowledge.”
“Living authentically to me means that you are being true to yourself and living everyday in the way that you believe to be the best for you.”
What does acceptance look like, particularly at work?
“Accepting everyone from co-workers to those we serve to community partners. But it is more than accepting it’s respecting.”
“Acceptance is not the same as tolerance. Many people think that accepting someone as they are is simply tolerating the difference and ignoring the things that make them different. Acceptance takes things a bit further and embraces the differences that we have. It recognizes that we all have something special to bring to the table and views those differences as a strength.”
“To me it is everyone giving every adult in the work place equality and not degrading someone because they are different or doesn’t look or speak like a certain group.”
“Acceptance in the workplace, to me, is a much simpler concept because I lived a large portion of life not accepting who I was out of fear. Simply, acceptance is providing a safe place for others to breathe. Acceptance is allowing others the opportunity to show a genuine smile. Acceptance is me, starts with me, and can only be curated by me if I accept my authentic self (faults and all).”
“Acceptance in the workplace looks like understanding, cohesive empathy and inclusion for the array of viewpoints, ideas, traits and backgrounds of all who we work directly/indirectly with.”
“Acceptance at work, to me, looks like what every heterosexual person experiences. Respect of pronouns. Respect of privacy about ones choices about their bodies.”
“Acceptance at work is having my coworkers use my correct pronouns, an inclusive dress code policy free from the gender binary, and inclusivity trainings for all individuals involved.”
“Acceptance, specifically at work, is to work with others without fear or doubt. Acceptance is not having to take a pause for fear of judgement before saying “my husband” when conversating with co-workers. Acceptance is employing (outside of LGBTQIA+) all walks of life without judgment of race or culture.”
“Knowing that whether I am dating a man or a women or want to dress more masculine I wont be judged. People should fully accept who I am, I am not pushing my beliefs on anyone so I should be able to be happy.”