The Fight to Live Your Truth
Sponsored article written by Joao Coelho from Raketech - a supporter of Malta Pride
Over the last decades, a lot of progress has been made in the fight for freedom and equality within the LGBTQIA+ community. However, uncertainty in the World is growing, and there have been very worrying signs of rights regression.
This movement can be closely witnessed in countries such as Poland, Hungary, and even Turkey, where this year’s Pride celebrations were met with reported brutality from the authorities and hundreds of arrests.
Events like this are usually fuelled by the rhetoric of populist and violent movements which seek to overthrow conquers made in the past. We must also remember that there are still too many places where the dreams of equality are yet a very distant utopia, and people are still prosecuted for being who they are.
It almost feels paradoxical - to observe the rising of hate crimes and minority targeting by anti-LGBTQIA+ groups, in a time and place where people have grown up in educated environments with ease of access to information, which would supposedly help build bridges and remove prejudices. Quite on the contrary, overall tolerance seems to be decreasing over time in a generalized way, and this tendency doesn’t appear to have an ending in sight. So, the question remains - what can be done?
My Truth
It might be a big overstatement to say that I’m privileged: but the truth of it all, this is how I generally feel considering the greater scheme of “how it could have been”. As a 30-year-old gay, living in Portugal has always been a relatively positive experience, with huge advancements being made while I was growing up. Same-sex marriage, adoption, or even a wide array of anti-discrimination laws being enforced, makes the country rank ninth in the 2022 ILGA-Europe annual review of LGBTI human rights.
Belonging to the community has been an eased challenge for me, being able to always rely on family, partner, and friends, which never failed to be supportive: from my coming out until today. I’m also fortunate to work for Raketech a company where “Diversity & Inclusion” stands for more than a corporate pinkwashing jargon – instead, such principles are deeply enrooted in the culture which ultimately allows me to openly be my true self.
(Fight to) Live Your Truth
The common call for action to tackle intolerance isn’t new: visibility and education. These are the two perceived key pillars to enable the battle against prejudice, allowing a more supportive and inclusive society for everyone. Together, governments, companies, LGBTQIA+ organizations, and individuals must act to foster specific actions that will work towards this common goal. The first step to ending ignorance is to learn, and so the encouragement on education about such topics needs to come from the greatest number of available sources.
Recently, in Portugal, FoxLife alongside with ILGA have kicked off a campaign to raise awareness and make people more knowledgeable about LGBTQIA+ related words or expressions. The online glossary (available here) was brought to the streets and can be found on billboards or bus stops all around the country, having a very positive repercussion. Actions like this one are just a small sample of what can be done and should inspire others to replicate or create new initiatives.
Individually we all can act as ambassadors by connecting others around us to more information, but also by engaging as allies to the ones within the LGBTQIA+ community who need it the most: whether that means actively supporting the fight that allows each one to live their truth, or just by contributing with a safe harbor to empower mental health.
Regardless of the approach, the message is loud and clear: it will only be possible to overcome waves of hate and prejudice by sticking together.
Live Your Truth, but always remember to support others in their journey to live their own!
Do you want to work for a company that puts diversity and inclusion at the forefront? At Raketech we believe everyone should be their true selves. Check out the open job opportunities we have waiting for you:
https://raketech.com/careers/#vacancies
