Pride comes in all colours

Working at a traditional law firm in Brazil, Ana stayed in the closet for 15 years out of fear of losing the career she had worked so hard to build. Unable to share who she truly was, Ana knew she had to find a workplace where she felt accepted and included. Luckily, coming to Uber allowed Ana to feel comfortable in her own skin.

After starting at Uber, the first item Ana proudly displayed on her desk was the rainbow flag. “There are more people like me hiding. It’s been hard to celebrate anything in Brazil” she explains.

Although Brazil’s current political climate has made it unsafe for people within the LGBTQIA+ community, Ana is working hard to help fight for equal rights. “At Uber, we have the ability to connect to millions of people every day” she says. “If we’re able to make even a small difference on a daily basis, we can change the world.”

Through this research, Rodrigo was able to reflect, embrace his own identity and feel less alone. “I started learning that there were more gays, lesbians and bisexuals. Learning this really empowered me” he says.

Now living freely in Amsterdam, Rodrigo feels supported by colleagues at Uber and friends around the world. His hope for future generations is that no one has to grow up feeling ashamed of who they are. “It’s important we try to create a safe place for everyone” Rodrigo says. “In 73 countries, it’s illegal to be gay. People don’t know other realities.”

Simply by sharing her story with us, Heather is already inspiring others. “I think I’ve always identified as asexual. Even when I was little. Because my crushes on people are usually due to aesthetic attraction, attraction to people’s personality, kindness or intelligence. But never sexual” Heather says.

Whether about her race or sexuality, Heather makes an effort to change the way people communicate. “I think we could alter the language we use in our conversations with others” she says. “Ask people questions in a way that doesn’t imply something.” With her family and friends by her side, Heather has a unique view that’s empowering so many others.

“I’m what people think a lesbian would look like. But I can see how that diminishes and erases half of a community” Dom explains.

As opposed to the pink shades of the lesbian flag, Dom more closely identifies with the rainbow flag. “What I like about the flag is that it’s not unique to one identity” she elaborates. “It reminds us that everybody has been in a similar situation in the past, and knowing that sort of ties us together in a community.”

Now living with her fiancée in San Francisco, Dom defines success as being comfortable with who you are and living your personal truth: “You can’t measure yourself or your success against anyone else. If you can do that, the people who love you will be there.”

Even though he’s now open about his sexuality, however, Ndu often feels misunderstood in his community. “A lot of people assume I’m straight. They think I’m part of the boys’ club,” he explains. “They assume labels because of the schools I’ve been to, how I present and speak. To an extent, I understand how this privileges me socially and puts me on top.”

Though once nervous about being honest with his family and friends, Ndu now stands proudly in traditional Zulu attire, feeling more open, happier and confident in his own skin.

With support from the Uber community, Lana found the courage to come out a second time as transgender. “It always felt disingenuous to wave around the rainbow flag because it’s largely been controlled by the gay man. The trans flag was at first a rejection of that. I like seeing the trans flag with all of the other flags. It shows we’re evolving” Lana explains.

Though challenging at times, Lana’s journey has made her the activist she is today, and she now stands with immense Pride. As one of the first people to openly transition at Uber, Lana pioneered the updated community guidelines for transgender employees and allies.

Identifying as genderqueer, Francois has felt misunderstood in the past. “People don’t get that being genderqueer isn’t about me being able to wear a skirt and a dress” Francois says. “I have to think about all the different nuances of myself: my masculinity and my femininity. It’s not about cross-dressing, it’s about expressing who I am.”

Over the years, Francois noticed that it was easier for others to see him as transgender or a flamboyant gay man than for who he really is. But when it comes to the next generation, he is filled with hope. “I feel as though whoever designed the rainbow flag saw a vision of the future” Francois says. “A future where it’s colourful. It’s bright. A place where everyone is accepted for being their unique self instead of following the crowd.”

Francois feels that the genderqueer community is often misunderstood, and he encourages people to stop being shy and start asking questions.

After moving to San Francisco, Georgie finally came out to her friends and family as a lesbian when she was 17 years old. “There was a huge stigma back then” she says. “In my era, we fought for things. It wasn’t a trend.”

Determined to minimise discrimination, Georgie marched in Washington to show her support for women’s and LGBTQIA+ rights. “If you think marching isn’t important, look around” she says. “I’m now enjoying things that are a direct result of my work, or someone else’s.”

For Georgie, the rainbow flag has always symbolised home and a sense of inclusion. Every day, Georgie confidently stands with the community and remains unapologetically true to herself.

“I don’t really conform to what society says gender is. So I’m not super-picky about pronouns. So he, she, they, them, whatever people want to call me is fine” Trevor explains.

At a young age, Trevor knew his journey might be different to that of others. Initially coming out as gay, Trevor took the first step to embrace who he really is. Although that wasn’t entirely accepted by friends and family, he never wavered.

Today, Trevor feels more empowered to identify as non-binary. “Some days I present as male, some days I present as more female” he says. For Trevor, discovering the non-binary flag was liberating. It meant representation, validation and a place within the LGBTQIA+ community.

“I didn’t really identify with being bisexual or gay. The labels didn’t feel as though they fit. That’s why I feel that queer was better for me” she explains. But when Dyan had a relationship with a man, she felt like she could no longer be part of the community: “I’m still struggling with that inside. I really want to be part of the community, but in my own way.”

On her journey of self-discovery, Dyan turned to the rainbow flag. “When I wore the flag, I was able to signal that I was queer. People say that I don’t look gay. I don’t fit into stereotypes” she explains. It wasn’t until college when Dyan found herself really able to embrace her identity. Eventually getting involved in politics, Dyan spent time fighting to help the LGBTQIA+ community obtain rights by speaking to local politicians. Ever since, Dyan’s incredible passion for the LGBTQIA+ community has continued to inspire others to be fearless.

“I’ve learned there’s no single path” she explains. “Our job is to break what seems static, and prevail in the struggle of many worlds where we can be different freely.”

Ana Karen also wants to invite people to open their minds and hearts about labels and stereotypes: “Why do we have to question everything? Having this label unconsciously comes with bias that society needs to change and accept. In the end, it’s about how you feel on the inside. Besides, there are more important things in the world to work on together.”

Originally starting his career in the banking industry, Robert felt he had to remain silent about how he identified. “I’ve realised that I’m better when I’m fully able to commit to myself” he says. “When I don’t have to worry about self-censoring.”

Robert’s dedication to helping foster a positive workplace environment is exceptional. “I think people who join this company should know that we don’t just recognise and support, we actively advocate. There’s a difference between kind of supporting versus actually going out and promoting” he explains.

As a vocal advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community, Robert inspires his peers to be equally vulnerable and authentic.

After joining the Gay-Straight Alliance at senior school, Amanda began to identify as pansexual. “I like knowing there’s a pansexual flag” she says. “It’s nice to know there’s something we can banner under. I can tell people about the flag, too. The pink is for females, the blue is for males and the yellow symbolises everything in between.”

Rather than being attracted to gender, Amanda is attracted to personalities. With her bright presence and energy, Amanda has a passion for equality that’s infectious, and she continues to make an impact in the Uber community. “If we make a continuous effort to always be exceptional to one another, that’s success to me” she says. “Then we won’t need letters, because we’re all just people.”

Eventually, Elijah came to an important realisation and knew it was time to transition and become a man. “It’s really hard for young people to take ownership of their identity because it’s not like there’s a welcoming committee” Elijah explains.

Although he’s happier than ever, the process of transitioning came with many learnings. “I think the number one thing that is affecting the trans community right now is that there aren’t enough people advocating for understanding medically what it means to be trans” he explains.

Before making any decisions to move forwards with surgery, Elijah encourages people to carry out extensive research and become as informed as possible. For him, with a new sense of belonging, changing his gender has brought a new life filled with love, support and dreams for his future. His advice to anyone considering a transition is to truly love themselves and embrace what they feel on the inside.

“What hurt me the most was when I felt pressured to love people I didn’t care about and not being able to love the people I did” he explains. Nearing the end of senior school, Jacob chose to leave before graduation and attend an early college in Massachusetts.

With the freedom to explore, Jacob now identifies as polysexual. “I’m attracted to a deep personal bond. I want to get to know who someone is as a person before I’m with them” he explains. For Jacob, Pride means working together to create a place where everyone has a sense of belonging.