Pride At Work

Kalwyna Rathod explores the importance of LGBTQIA+ representation in the workplace, the real meaning of inclusion, and how we can all deal with the challenges faced

- Kalwyna Rathod

With Pride Month comes support for the LGBTQIA+ community – we see it everywhere, in every form. But, beyond the celebrations, and especially in the workplace, visibility and acceptance for members of the community call for a change in mindset, not just month-long activities.

Speaking of his own everyday reality of being queer at work, Mumbai-based entrepreneur Navel Nazareth shares, “This time of year always takes me back to the time when I was joining a leading e-commerce platform as a customer service representative. On our orientation day, there was a segment on workplace conduct and the POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) Act. I had had some bad experiences in a few of my previous organisations, so this felt like a glimmer of hope. They mentioned inclusive policies that supported LGBTQIA+ employees. They had even introduced unisex single-user washrooms for members of the community.” However, for Navel, that brief sense of safety evaporated the moment the senior-most HR official, in a bizarre mix of humour and warning, asked everyone to be careful around ‘those kinds of people’; he didn’t want anyone to get into trouble because of ‘them’. “I had barely been in that office for a few hours, and, already, my queerness – unspoken at that point – had been weaponised. I wasn't yet seen as a colleague or a contributor; I was perceived as a risk, a liability. That one remark kept echoing in my mind, louder than any policy document or benefits plan. Surrounded by unfamiliar faces, I felt smaller than ever.”