Career By Design

Pride Month occurs in June to commemorate the beginning of the Gay Liberation movement in the United States, which began with the Stonewall Riots in June of 1969. Pride is a time for the celebration of the gains we have made towards LGBTQ+ equality, as well as a time to reflect on the work that is still to come.

This past Monday, the supreme court ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which makes it illegal for employers to discriminate because of a person's sex, among other factors, also covers sexual orientation and transgender status. More information at In landmark case, Supreme Court rules LGBTQ workers are protected from job discrimination

To celebrate Pride in a virtual setting this year, I personally will be attending portions of the (Not IRL) Pride Summit next week which has an excellent agenda: https://lesbianswhotech.org/virtualpridesummit/

How are you celebrating Pride month?  

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Danielle Schroeder EIT, A.M.ASCE (She/her)
Associate Engineer
Pennoni Associates
Philadelphia PA
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Hi Ms. Schroeder,

I personally don't celebrate anything. I don't celebrate my birthday let alone events that are celebratory, but I am someone who seeks the equal treatment and equanimity of others. 

First, I would like to congratulate those who have earned this long sought after victory, as a person of the LGBT+ community, this is a great achievement for many marginalized individuals. It has been crucial that people be enabled to participate in life without any unjust hindrances, sometimes from the personal view and belief of another person's.

This also brings back memories of when I was a child and when I found that some of the mentality behind supporting LGBT+ individuals is the same as standing up against bullies. There are probably an infinite amount of myths that people make to deter others from supporting LGBT+ individuals, but that goes to show the unfair treatments of LGBT+ people are pervasive. Sometimes small victories can caste large shadows over us such as when harassment becomes discrete and hidden. Personally, I have experienced different forms of harassment, not to be mistaken as playground bullying, with varying amounts of hostility and violence. Some of these ranged from data privacy to cyberstalking to denial of services (online), which if you could imagine, at a time when you are seeking employment, puts you in one of the most vulnerable, if not the most vulnerable place, which is exactly why this victory is so important. I don't find satisfaction in seeing another person suffer and I am glad to know that the majority of SCOTUS has ruled in favor of this. 

I will be celebrating somehow.

Thanks,

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Oanh Le Aff.M.ASCE
Suwanee GA
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Thank you, @Oanh Le, for your response.

You make an important point that celebrating may not be the first word that comes to mind when it comes to LGBTQ+ equality, especially when there is still so much work to be done. It breaks my heart that there are still individuals who do not feel comfortable being their authentic and full self at work…..around friends…and even family. It also breaks my heart that this wasn't a unanimous decision by SCOTUS. It breaks my heart that up until this past Monday, there were 26 states where employers could legally fire someone simply for being gay or transgender. But this is the reason I chose to use the word celebrate as I want to celebrate the strides that have been made, including this landmark decision by SCOTUS and the brave passionate people at the Stonewall Riots who paved the way.

As part of another professional organization, I have spent the last year working alongside my fellow committee members on the strategic initiative of how that organization can be more inclusive with a specific focus on under-represented genders. A year spent listening, learning, researching, and taking part in many discussions and although we have put together strategic recommendations to the board of directors, there is still more to do. There have been many lessons learned through this process and while I don't want to go into details here, one of my main takeaways is that small actions can have a big impact. It is a marathon towards equality, not a sprint which is why I choose to celebrate these wins as part of the journey towards justice and equality for all.

​

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Danielle Schroeder EIT, A.M.ASCE (She/her)
Associate Engineer
Pennoni Associates
Philadelphia PA
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-18-2020 05:32 PM
From: Oanh Le
Subject: How are you celebrating Pride month?

Hi Ms. Schroeder,

I personally don't celebrate anything. I don't celebrate my birthday let alone events that are celebratory, but I am someone who seeks the equal treatment and equanimity of others.

First, I would like to congratulate those who have earned this long sought after victory, as a person of the LGBT+ community, this is a great achievement for many marginalized individuals. It has been crucial that people be enabled to participate in life without any unjust hindrances, sometimes from the personal view and belief of another person's.

This also brings back memories of when I was a child and when I found that some of the mentality behind supporting LGBT+ individuals is the same as standing up against bullies. There are probably an infinite amount of myths that people make to deter others from supporting LGBT+ individuals, but that goes to show the unfair treatments of LGBT+ people are pervasive. Sometimes small victories can caste large shadows over us such as when harassment becomes discrete and hidden. Personally, I have experienced different forms of harassment, not to be mistaken as playground bullying, with varying amounts of hostility and violence. Some of these ranged from data privacy to cyberstalking to denial of services (online), which if you could imagine, at a time when you are seeking employment, puts you in one of the most vulnerable, if not the most vulnerable place, which is exactly why this victory is so important. I don't find satisfaction in seeing another person suffer and I am glad to know that the majority of SPOTUS has ruled in favor of this.

I will be celebrating somehow.

Thanks,

------------------------------
Oanh Le Aff.M.ASCE
Suwanee GA
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