Can you briefly introduce yourself?

Hi, my name is Barbara, and I am a part of Customer Ops team at Liberis. I’ve been with company for almost 2 years now. In my free time I’m a dog walker, full time plant mother and travel enthusiast. 😊

How do you educate yourself about the issues faced by the LGBTQIA+ community?

The best way to educate is to have open conversations with people. Reading articles and following people on social media is great for awareness, but to understand issues that the community is facing, I try to engage myself in meetups with LGBTQIA+ community through art and music events.

How do you handle situations where you witness discrimination or bias against the LGBTQIA+ community?

I think a lot of discrimination is caused by ignorance and speaking up is very important in those situations. But let’s not forget that you can’t fight anger with anger, so the best way to challenge this is with education and open communication.

What does being an ally to the LGBTQIA+ community mean to you?

For me personally, it is a responsibility of sharing my knowledge with others, fighting for LGBTQIA+ rights even if nobody from the community is present in the room. And most importantly educating people who are unconsciously biased, and correcting the language used especially when there may be generational and cultural differences.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to be an ally but doesn’t know where to start?

I feel that the biggest value for LGBTQIA+ community is being open to others and acceptance. If you feel like you want to learn more, get more involved or help out, find an event that involves something you’re interested in or organized by the LGBTQIA+ community. Once you get there, everyone will be welcoming and friendly. You will definitely make friends and most likely find ways to get more involved.