To celebrate Pride 2024, we are focusing on “Every Day Pride”, the daily experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals in all aspects of their lives. For this special Pride edition of Inside Edelman, we profiled members of our global community to highlight their unique experiences and point of view as they reflect on what it means to be LGBTQIA+ within the firm and beyond.
What does "Everyday Pride" mean to you?
To me, “Everyday Pride” is the belief that everyone should be proud to be their true and most authentic self every day of the year. While Pride is such an important month for us to celebrate our queer identities, we shouldn’t have to contain ourselves to just this one month, we should feel empowered (and supported) all year round to be our authentic selves, whatever part of our wonderful LGBTQIA+ rainbow that is.
In your opinion, are non-LGBTQIA+ allies fully aware of the obstacles faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals? How can they raise their awareness?
Whether you are an ally, a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, or none of the above, I don’t think anyone really is aware of what prejudice or barriers someone else faces fully. Even me as an openly gay CIS man, probably is not aware of all the barriers that my trans and gender non-confirming siblings face in their day to day lives. However, I believe that through storytelling and sharing our lived experiences with each other we are able to increase the awareness of what barriers and prejudices still exist in our world and hopefully, through this open conversation, help people understand our lives and why we should be so happy to live them.
Can you share any positive examples or best practices you've seen in the workplace that effectively support LGBTQIA+ employees?
Where to start! In the U.K., we have created gender neutral bathrooms and spaces within our new office space, which is encouraging people who are gender non-confirming to feel more comfortable within our office. This is also being rolled out in our new Milan office, which is opening soon. We have also updated our parental leave policies to remove the traditional Maternal and Paternal titles to be more reflective of the modern family. These little steps are big wins for LGBTQIA+ people, because it shows that Edelman is a company where you should feel safe and proud to be yourself at work.
What is something about Pride Month that brings you joy? Is there an event or activity you look forward to every year?
I love all the different cultural activities that educate people about queer history throughout pride month. From Book Shops doing their top lists of queer books to read, to cinemas releasing classic queer films that showcase the multitude of LGBTQIA+ stories that have been told on screen, through to the British Museum running a tour on queer representation in antiquities throughout history. If you want to know more about queer culture, history and how LGBTQIA+ have been a part of society for longer than we have, then these activities will really inspire and educate you.
How do you find ways to celebrate your identity on a daily basis?
In all honesty, I don’t really think about it because I am just me. I don’t do things and think, “Ah yes, this is me being proud to be a gay man.” I am just proud to be me, and I think that is what we should all feel. We shouldn’t need to think about how we show our pride, we should just be proud and that comes with surrounding yourself with people who are accepting and loving, which I am very fortunate to have.
What advice would you give to young LGBTQIA+ individuals who are just starting their careers?
Never be afraid to bring your true self to work, even if you don’t necessarily see your “self” within your colleagues or senior leaders. All representation must start with someone, and maybe by you being your true self other people will feel confident and empowered to be their true selves too.
Ethan Tuxford is the Director of Brand for Edelman U.K.
