It’s June, which has always been a month of excitement for me. Firstly, it means summer is here and so are the sun, beaches, and picnics in city parks. It’s also the month of my birthday which coincidentally falls on Juneteenth. And, finally, it’s PRIDE! 

I’m only a millennial, but I’ve certainly seen the arc of progress at work. From attending Gay-Straight Alliance meetings as just a curious but supportive ally at a New York City high school to marching in the PRIDE parade while in grad school, I have watched as members of the LGBTQ+ community slowly acquired legislative successes, and hope was on an upswing toward full acceptance and celebration. But the last couple of years, and particularly just the first week of this month, has shown that progress is not linear, but will always be fought for. 

It’s easy to be demoralized. This year started with CEOs of many tech companies attending the inauguration of a transphobic president and the swift removal of any information about gender affirmative care from government affiliated websites. Just the first week of June, members and allies of the community noticed and noted the distinct lack of Corporate pride logos. And as June continued, more recent blows have hit the community, with the SCOTUS ruling in US v Skirmetti upholding a ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth and the shutting down of the LGBTQ youth suicide hotline. 

While working long passionate hours on our report Pride Under Pressure: Charting a Course for Global LGBTQ+ Workplace Inclusion focusing on LGBTQ+ experiences in the workplace, I was often reminded of Magnus Hirschfeld. Hirschfeld was a gay German physician and LGBTQ+ advocate who provided a haven for trans people where they could receive shelter and gender affirming surgeries. But with the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany, Hirschfeld was exiled and his Institute for Sex Research was looted and burned down. When I visited Germany in 2016, I visited the Empty Library, a memorial to the 20,000 books burned by the Nazis in 1933. It features an underground 7x7m room with empty white bookshelves representing the void left by the books burned in masses. 

Those shelves flashed in my mind every time I clicked a link in our references only to find a “404-Page Not Found” response on the screen. What was likely the product of hours, weeks, years of work by professionals and researchers supporting LGBTQ+ research and rights was wiped away nearly overnight from government websites. We had frequent moments of disappointment and despair at the digital book burning and erasure of decades of work in DEIB and crucial information about LGBTQ+ people and resources. 

I had a sudden memory of the plaque I read at the memorial which translates to English, “Wherever they burn books, they will, in the end, burn human beings.’” 

But, then, another quote from my favorite book series brought me back to action, “What can men do against such reckless hate?” 

In my philosophy, those who can fight, fight. It might be even more important than ever to show up at PRIDE events- both public and within your organizations, buy from brands that still support the community despite governmental pressure, and, if you are positioned to help LGBTQ+ people through mentorship, guidance, or just understanding, do it. The world needs more allies.  

For those wondering, I’m queer, and I’m still here. I can’t change the world by myself, but I can share with you my own experiences and offer some advice: 

• Be visible. Coqual found that, in the US, over a third of non-heterosexual white-collar employees feel pressured to stay closeted and 4 in 10 fear negative job consequences because of their sexual orientation. Many LGBTQ+ workers do various things to hide their sexual orientation or gender at work, which takes up valuable time and energy.  

• Demand that correct names and pronouns are used. In our report, we included a toolkit on allyship and gendered language beyond the easy fixes. For example, sometimes, a pronoun pin isn’t enough. We heard from one nonbinary professional whose colleagues kept misgendering them despite a pin.  

• Keep talking about LGBTQ issues beyond Pride Month. While 3 in 4 US white collar employees say their companies show support via promotional materials like PRIDE logos, only 38% say their company provides programming for LGBTQ+ employees outside of the month of June. A symbol goes a long way, but active support remains missing. 

If we all hide and cover and downplay, then it’s easier to pretend we don’t exist. If you can, be out, and as always, be proud.