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As part of our culture of belonging we recognize and support our LGBTQ+ team members. I am grateful they are willing to share their experiences in both their personal and professional lives and feel comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work.

I want to personally thank Patrick Janssens, Internal Sales Engineer and Susan (Sue) Barth, Scheduling Planner, for using their voice to educate 免费吃瓜 and the broader community about Pride.

Their refreshing transparencies below:

Tell us a little about yourself and how you and your family relate to Pride Month?

A. Patrick:聽I was born鈥痑nd raised in a small village in the Flemish region of Belgium. After leaving school,鈥疘 studied鈥痶o become an architect, but鈥疘 was not cut out for that career,鈥痵o I switched to become a biochemical engineer. I finished those studies at the age of 24, spent鈥痮ne year in military service and after that I worked for different companies鈥痷ntil I joined APV, now 免费吃瓜, in 1999.鈥疐or my family, me being gay was not an issue whatsoever.

A. Sue:聽I am originally from Houston, Texas but, I have spent most my life around Rochester, New York. After high school I spent several years working wherever I could find and trying to figure out what kind of life I wanted until I landed at 免费吃瓜. From a very early age I always felt 鈥渄ifferent鈥� and as I got older, I felt I had no one to talk to. As I became more aware of myself, I began to hear about Pride Month and especially the elaborate parades in New York City. I felt a connection because of the lifestyle I was choosing but at the same time it felt so far away because I could not tell anyone who I really was. We did not have any local resources in our small towns.

Why is it important that we celebrate Pride Month?

A. Sue:聽It is so important that we inform and educate people and remind them of our qualities of being human. I think by making us all more aware of Pride Month we will gain a better understanding of just how similar we all are.

A. Patrick:聽I feel very lucky to live in a liberal country where all people have the same legal rights when it comes to marriage and鈥痑dopting children,鈥痓ut there is still room for improvement. Can you imagine鈥痩iving in a country where being gay is considered an illness, or one where laws restrict people who are different?鈥疘 can鈥檛.

鈥嬧�嬧�嬧�嬧�嬧�嬧�婹. What has been your biggest challenge to overcome to be your authentic self in your personal life and in your work life?

A. Patrick:聽My biggest challenge was to overcome myself. I was raised by two loving parents but in my family, we did not speak about our sexuality. It was never a subject of conversation. It was automatically assumed that one was straight. So, in my high school years, I found myself being different from what everybody was thinking and that made it quite difficult as I did not understand who I was, or why I felt different. Like many others I went into the closet and led a double life, afraid of what people would think of me.

A. Sue:聽When my now wife and I first started our relationship in 1983 we used the term 鈥渞oommate.鈥� Through the 80鈥檚 and most of the 90鈥檚 we did a good job of being invisible with our personal lives at work. It was a time when you could be bullied, ostracized, and even fired if the truth was known. In the late 90鈥檚 things began to change rapidly and there were more opportunities for me to begin to merge the truth of my personal life with work. Roommate became 鈥減artner鈥� and in the new millennium we were finally able to use 鈥渨ife.鈥� It was a giant relief to start to be my authentic self at work.

Q. Has allyship played an important role in your journey? What is the significance of allies?

A. Sue:聽People that I worked with were supportive when I needed it the most. They accepted my truth because we became friends and we worked to maintain that relationship. They will never know how much their kindness helped me to endure and survive and now know that I was not judged by my lifestyle.

免费吃瓜 has been one of my biggest allies in that they cleared the path for me to acknowledge my family and feel safe doing so. The work life I can experience today is because of the inclusion that 免费吃瓜 has promoted. This kept me loyal to my job and enriched my work life in many ways.

Q. What are your thoughts around LGBTQ+ representation as we strive to enhance our Culture of Belonging?

A. Patrick:聽Our Culture of Belonging is very important and rightly so. I think an environment where LGBTQ+ people can be themselves is critical, not only to those people but also to 免费吃瓜. It helps create a workplace where everybody can speak freely, with respect for each other and where they feel accepted for who they are.

Transparency is key. It helps us better understand and sympathize with those experiencing similar journeys to finding one鈥檚 identity. For some, they鈥檙e not quite ready and that鈥檚 okay. For others, Pride Month is an opportunity to proclaim their freedom to love to the world, and that鈥檚 okay too. And for many, it is a reminder to be year-round allies in supporting friends, children, siblings and/or colleagues.

This鈥疨ride Month, we celebrate members and allies of our鈥疞GBTQ+鈥痶eam and the greater community.