TOM: Being an LGBT ally is one of the most rewarding experiences that I get to have here at the company because it's consistent with my belief that everyone needs to be treated with dignity and respect.
BEN: Trying to balance the fact that I like to just be Ben versus being visibe and being a face for someone who is trans is, who, being human, that human aspect, the desire to just simply be who I am.
ADAM: I would say that the way that the company's helped me succeed as a gay employee is that my team has been really encouraging and supportive of my relationship. And that lets me come to work and feel like I can bring my whole self to work.
TRICIA: But many members are part of that community. So by understanding the needs of our employees who are LGBTQ, we're inherently going to provide a better service to the members who are a part of that community.
STEPHANIE: I have learned so much from being an LGBT ally. I've learned that there is a lot of change that still needs to be made. But I've also learned that there's a lot of change that's already happened. And I've also learned that people in the LGBT community have struggles that I know nothing about. And I don't know that that's like, and all I can do is be a support and be a friend and be a sibling and be a coworker and be with them on their journey and support them and love them.
JR: Well, the reality is that we all want to have respect. When it comes to working with peers and when it comes to working with any individual, all you need to do is have a conversation and understand how you're similar. We tend to focus a ton of attention on what's different and the reality is that we're more similar than we're not.
TRICIA: Regardless of what your label happens to be, that's usually the first thing people notice. Whether you're African American or Muslim or gay or straight or whatever, labels are always the first identifier and the things that people are going to judge you based on. The more that we can break down those barriers and remove those labels and truly see people as just people and coworkers and friends, the happier I think everyone would be.