Chorus is celebrating Pride this year by featuring the voices of our LGBTQ+ employees. Every week in the month of June, we’re publishing a blog post around what it’s like to be queer in tech, whether “out” or not. This questionnaire was anonymous, though some employees chose to use their identities. We applaud the employees who participated for sharing their experiences and we’re proud to have a diversity of voices included in this blog series.
Week Three: Tell us about a leader or mentor you had in tech that made you feel more comfortable with your identity in the workplace.
Anonymous: One of my mentors was a VP of Marketing at a previous company. We continuously have conversations around LGBTQ+ in the workplace. Unfortunately, a lot of the experiences with bias came not from peers, but from management.
Matt Scheitle, Revenue Enablement Manager (he/him): I haven't truly found a leader or mentor in tech that has made a huge impact in my life. But I'm hoping I one day can be that person for someone else. I find my inspiration to be my true authentic self through LGBTQ+ athletes, political figures, and others that I have found that share the same values as me.
... I'm hoping I one day can be that person for someone else.
Revenue Enablement Manager (he/him)
Michael Strickland, Office Manager: I have not had a leader or mentor yet that I can identify that has helped me feel more comfortable with identity in the workplace. However, I hope I can be that person for someone in the workplace in the near future!
I hope I can be that person for someone in the workplace in the near future!
Office Manager
Anonymous (she/her): I admire Chorus's own Thiago Se Freire as a leader! When I joined Chorus, I wasn't sure if I was going to be out because of negative past experiences. I immediately saw on my first company all hands that Thiago included his pronouns in his zoom name. If our CRO could show support for the trans community, I knew Chorus was a safe place for me to be openly queer!