Celebrating National Coming Out Day

ResponsibilityDiversity

Oct 08, 2021 | 4 min read

In the United States, October 11 marks National Coming Out Day (NCOD), when members of the LGBT+ community are encouraged to “come out” by sharing their gender identities or sexual orientation with their families or colleagues. To make this step easier and safe for them, people across the country publicly show their support – including employees at Sartorius. Additionally, the company supports the LGBT Network in creating safe spaces.

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“We are actively working to create an organization where all employees feel welcome to be themselves. As part of our commitment to the LBGT+ community, many of our sites are taking part in National Coming Out Day,” says Mary Lavin, President of Sartorius North America. "We’re proud to recognize this day with the help of our employee volunteers and I encourage everyone to celebrate and recognize LGBT+ communities on this day and beyond."

Diversity at Sartorius

Employees Show Their Support as Allies

In preparation for the day, employee volunteers from Sartorius North America’s Diversity & Inclusion committee along with managers had already in advance put up posters, handed out gay and trans ribbons — symbols of LGBT+ pride and history — and provided informational materials to help raise awareness at the company’s sites in the U.S. Remote working employees have the chance to use a digital NCOD Kit with helpful information and a digital background for virtual meetings.

Furthermore, in order to promote gender inclusivity as the norm within the company, employees can now add a pronoun to their email signature. "Gender pronouns create an opportunity for individuals to share their gender identity with their peers. Addressing a person with the correct pronoun is about care and respect for a person's identity. But of course, people need to be aware of that identity first. As an out trans person, I'm grateful for the chance to make this transparent in my signature," explains Aubrey Pratt, Software Engineer at Sartorius.

Impressions of the Celebrations at Sartorius

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Creating Safe Spaces Through the LGBT Network

A basic prerequisite for confidently coming out is the establishment of safe spaces. “Safe spaces can offer a break from judgment, unsolicited opinions, and having to explain yourself to others. They also allow people to feel supported and respected,” says Patryk, member of the New York Community Outreach Commitee.

In support of safe spaces for the LGBT+ community, Sartorius North America now also supports the LGBT Network in New York whose community centers are a safe space and life-changing resource for the tens of thousands of LGBT+ and ally individuals.

The LGBT Network created its NCOD campaign in 2002, and since that time has pioneered this annual community organizing strategy to engage over 900 global institutions and nearly one million participants in 2019.

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_{Sartorius is an equal opportunity employer. We take affirmative action to ensure equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. View EOE posters.}

Trisha Bevard, Head of Operations, New Oxford

I have a transgender son and I’ve learned a lot through this experience. I’m very proud of the journey my child has gone through from childhood to adulthood. I don’t know a braver person. For all the people who have to have these difficult conversations, I feel they should be commended for wanting to be and needing to be their authentic self. We all spend so much time at work, you have to be yourself and be comfortable. That is our goal here and we want to help as many as we can and be allies for the people that need us.

Patryk Kuzma, Sales Support Coordinator and member of the New York Community Outreach Committee

Sartorius being involved with the LGBT Network will not only promote inclusiveness, but it can potentially save lives because still today too many kids are suffering from depression for feeling like outcasts by society and hopeless about their futures. It’s such a simple thing, putting on a ribbon to show support of the LGBT+ community. If someone wears the ribbon, to me this means, ‘I can trust you, I can feel safe with you,’ and that’s the message — just be there for people.

Aubrey Pratt, Principal Embedded Software Engineer

For anyone seeking to understand or be an ally, self-directed education can go a long way in helping colleagues in the LGBT+ community feel supported and respected. The emotional labor of creating a more accepting workplace should not fall to LGBT+ colleagues. We must all do the work. I’m an out trans person in an office that is predominantly cisgender and heterosexual and if everyone had just one question and they directed all those questions to me; it would be overwhelming. I love answering questions, but I encourage people to do their own research as well.

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