Pride comes in all colors

Working at a traditional law firm in Brazil, Ana stayed in the closet for 15 years in fear of losing the career she 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 LGBTQIA+ community, Ana is working hard to help fight for equal rights. “At Uber, we have the ability to connect to millions of people everyday. 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 explained.

Now living freely in Amsterdam, Rodrigo feels supported by co-workers at Uber and friends around the world. Rodrigo’s 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. 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 aesthetic attraction, attraction to people's personality, kindness or intelligence. But never sexual,” Heather said.

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

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. 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,” she elaborated.

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. 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,” Francois said.

Over the years, Francois noticed that it was easier for others to see him as a 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 like whoever designed the rainbow flag saw a vision of the future. A future where it’s colorful. 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. In my era, we fought for things. It wasn’t a trend,” says Georgie.

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

For Georgie, the rainbow flag has always symbolized 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 may be different than others. Initially coming out as gay, Trevor took the first step to embrace who he really was. Though 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.” 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 like they fit. That’s why I feel like queer was better for me,” she explained. But when Dyan had a relationship with a man, she felt like she could no longer be a part of the community. “I’m still struggling with that inside. I really want to be a part of the community, but in my own way,” she explained.

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 explained. 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 with local politicians. Ever since, Dyan’s incredible passion for the LGBTQIA+ community continues to inspire others to be fearless.

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

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. At 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 that he had to remain silent about how he identified. “I’ve realized that I’m better when I’m fully able to commit to myself. 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 recognize and support, but that we actively advocate. There’s a difference between kind of supporting versus actually going out and promoting,” he explained.

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

After joining the Gay Straight Alliance in high school, Amanda began to identify as pansexual. “I like knowing there’s a pansexual flag, 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 symbolizes everything in between,” Amanda said.

Rather than gender, Amanda is attracted to personalities. With her bright presence and energy, Amanda’s passion for equality is infectious and 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. Then we won’t need letters because we’re all just people.”

Eventually, Elijah came to an important realization 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 welcome committee,” Elijah explained.

Although 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 explained.

Before making any decisions to move forward with surgery, Elijah encourages people to do extensive research and become as informed as possible. However with a new sense of belonging, changing his gender has brought him 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 pressure to love people who I didn’t care about and not being able to love the people who I did,” he explains. Nearing the end of high school, Jacob chose to leave high school 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.