Happy Pride Month! Each year, Pride Month is celebrated in June in honor of the 1969 Stonewall Riots in Manhattan, New York. Here at Stride, diversity fuels us and serves as one of our core values as a company. By respecting, celebrating, and empowering our unique backgrounds and perspectives, we grow stronger as a team and bring creative solutions to our diverse members.

To celebrate Pride Month, we'd like to highlight one of our inspiring members, Bree, from Milwaukee.

Hi, Bree! What kind of self-employed work do you do?

Bree: Editing/Proofreading, Writing

Were there any unique challenges you faced in starting your business because you were a member of the LGBTQIA+ community? If so, how did you handle them?

Bree: As was the case when I was looking for traditional jobs, I was worried about the cost of being out. Even though in my state it's technically illegal to discriminate against someone based on their sexual orientation, that doesn't mean that people will overcome their internal biases. When starting out as a freelancer, I wondered if I should hide my identity as a bisexual and gender-fluid person in hopes of getting more clients. While I don't totally hide my identity, it's not something that I mention on my Upwork page or on any other promotional materials. If it was relevant to a project or if someone asked me outright, I highly doubt I'd deny my queerness, but I've decided to keep my identity under wraps for my own protection. I've had people I barely know ask really invasive questions about my gender-fluidity and my sex life, so even though not being able to be my full and authentic self hurts a little, I'd rather not have people interrogating about my genitals in an email about my editing rates.

How about the other side of the coin: Were there any advantages that being a member of the LGBTQIA+community provided in starting your own business?

Bree: Oh, for sure. In addition to editing, I write romance under a pseudonym and am openly queer when running in those particular circles. My queerness has helped me to connect with other queer folks and readers who I wouldn't have met otherwise. Additionally, being queer myself has given me a unique approach to romance that avoids the queer pain that is (unfortunately) often present in books about queer people written by cisgender and heterosexual individuals. I can't even imagine being an author without being openly queer because those two parts of my identity have influenced each other so much.

What advice would you give to fellow LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs? 

Bree: Don't let the hatred of the world discourage you. It can be difficult to be out, especially when homophobic/transphobic people are so vocal, but if you are, that is a beautiful thing. Your queerness can be a really great tool in creating a unique space. Besides, members of the LGBTQIA+ community are often eager to support a small business owner who's part of their community, so you already have a ton of support behind you.

Thanks for you sharing your story and advice with us and the rest of the Stride community, Bree!