From the desk of Janan, our Head of Transformation Strategy

"Beyond Pride Month" by Janan Araujo-Siam

Dear Corporate Social Media,

My relationship with being queer is none of your business. With that being said, I’m choosing to write this out for you to understand so that we may better connect, and I’ll feel like I am contributing to the betterment of the human race:

Pride month can have its fun moments for me, however, as someone who is marginalized in more than one way (which is almost always the case of someone who is queer), I’m met with some psychological distress. Not every queer person wants to be asked to shoulder representing queerness in the way that you think they should. It’s not my job to explain to you why, either.

I honor those that have fought for my rights by living within my rights. I am done being othered or pigeonholed. I’m not just queer. I’m not just Palestinian. I’m not just a woman. I’m not the same as you. I’m thankful that I am all those things, and also, I’m a brilliant spiritual being having a human experience. For all the queer and/or Arab and/or female humans around me, I see and appreciate you. To our allies, I see and appreciate you.

To anyone against us: it’s not my responsibility to fix your negative judgements—it’s yours. I’m a firm believer in living by example rather than trying to convince someone to change their beliefs. When other people do choose to  start a committee to fight against ignorance or go to a protest every weekend, great. I mean that: that is great. That needs to happen.

We are free to be expressed in the ways that we each choose. Even the people that oppress me for one or more of my identities: I don’t hate them back. In moments when I can physically stop their harmful actions, I will. I will fight our oppressors and join in as much as I can. I’ll do it with love and a firm faith in my stand. My stand is that of nonviolence and non-judgment. When it comes to my identity being “show-ponied” on LinkedIn, I’m done with that.

When it comes to my identity being “show-ponied” on LinkedIn, I’m done with that. I get it though - allies want to be allies and I thank you all for that goodheartedness and all the good work that comes from that. You can ask me if I’d like to participate and whatever answer I give you, be content. Pride is more sensitive to me because unlike the heritage months of the year, Pride encompasses all heritages. Each individual person within the LGBTQ+ community is completely unique with many intersecting identities and we are not a monolith.

I thank you for your work and your celebration of Pride. Let’s just please never mistake actual work toward attaining more freedom and rights for all with performative activism. You know in your heart if you are truly doing all you can for what you believe in, or if you’re just checking a checkbox. This is simple. If you get real with yourself, get quiet, and truly contemplate the decisions in your life and find that you feel guilty - there’s your answer. What to do next is forgive the past and change your actions going forward. If you are authentically content with who you’ve been with the power that you wield in this life, then carry on.

I am not saying we should abolish celebrating various heritage months in the business world. I am saying that the responsibility of how to celebrate, honor, and cause positive change in each of these months must fall on the shoulders of those profiting the most from the companies rather than the lower-paid employees. If an owner or CEO doesn’t authentically care to cause positive change, then yeah - fuck that company. I hope they wake up and change their behavior.

We live in an age now if a business doesn’t align with our moral compass, we are less likely to interact with that business. Good. The thing about morality, i.e. right and wrong, though, is that it’s a trap to just seem moral but not actually be connected to what right and wrong. What’s right is love for all and what’s wrong is anything other than that. What’s right is protection of the innocent and what’s wrong is purposeful murder of the innocent. We humans complicate these easy truths with reasoning, philosophies, ideologies, evidence, examples from the past, warnings of the future, blah blah blah politics.

People and corporations of the world: just be present with yourself in each moment and be willing to get uncomfortable. Be willing to stop seeming perfect and start being real. That’s your job for you. Not mine. I’ll walk my path and empower you to walk yours. Thank you and happy Pride, with the work continuing after June.