With everything going on in the world, we’re reminded how important it is to celebrate Pride. This month some of our SmartBear family members have bravely opened up to give us their insights, which we’re releasing as a series of blogs throughout June. It centers around what this month signifies, what has and hasn’t changed, and what being out at work means for them.
Name, preferred pronouns, role at SB:
Dana Prey
She/her
Senior Product Marketing Manager
What does Pride mean to you?
Pride to me means self-acceptance, and being proud of who you are and what you stand for. It also means standing up for others who are unable to stand up for themselves.
What does it mean to you to be out at work?
I feel very fortunate for it to be a non-issue from day 1. Forming positive relationships at work is important, and you can’t do that effectively if you aren’t being your true self. It’s been especially important while we’ve been working fully remote – I find that checking in on my work family has been valuable. Whether a co-worker is married with kids, single, lives with roommates, etc. we have all been facing challenges with social isolation and distributed working. I’m grateful that we have all been looking out for each other and checking in on a personal level throughout this.
This year’s a bit different, but are there particular Pride-related events you’ll be attending?
I was really looking forward to attending the Boston event this year, but obviously things have changed quite a bit. I’m checking out some online events, but for the most part I’ve been using this time to take advantage of forced downtime by getting back to basics – enjoying the outdoors, going on epic bike adventures, and baking all the things. It’s kind of like what I envisioned maternity leave to be except now I have the time and energy (and no newborn to care for) to do it ;)
What do you think people can do this Pride Month to raise awareness about important issues? Any history LGBTQIA+ lessons you’d like to share?
Due to recent events, I’ve shifted my focus a bit this year, and want to use my voice to amplify #BlackLivesMatter. For me, that means educating myself on how I can take actionable steps to be a better and more involved ally, whether that be for BLM or LGBTQIA initiatives. A hashtag isn’t social justice. Those of us in positions of privilege need to stand up and contribute more. I have struggled to figure out how to be effective, and I appreciated this sentiment: “Now it's time to pay it forward. Find a cause you love, it's ok to pick just one. Focus on something outside of yourself, devote a slice of energy to making the world suck less every week.”
My product marketing team has been having some great conversations recently, and one teammate shared a list of “anti-racism resources” that has been a really helpful document. bit.ly/ANTIRACISMRESOURCES
Lastly, what’s your favorite Pride song or queer anthem?
Sia is my queen. Literally anything by her.