Jerry Virta’s ‘Working with Pride’ podcast
What is the workplace like for members of the LGBTQIA+ community? The answer depends not just on company policies but on everyday experiences.
“This podcast is for people who want to educate themselves further and are willing to listen and learn”
Someone who understands this well is Jerry Virta, Foleon’s Marcom Operations Manager. Last year, he launched his first-ever podcast, Working with Pride, where he explores LGBTQIA+ topics in the workplace.
Congratulations on starting your first podcast, Jerry. How and when did you decide that Working with Pride was a project you wanted to get off the ground?
I don't necessarily love it when companies change their logo for Pride month and leave it at that. I can't stand behind it if it's just to sell a product for marketing purposes. I knew that if we decided to do something for Pride, it had to be something that mattered and had an impact.
I spoke with my Manager about different ideas, and we came up with a concept for a podcast. Pride one month out of the year is different from Pride all year round, and I wanted to use the podcast to keep the conversation going each month by deep diving into important topics and bringing awareness and visibility to the struggles that the community still faces.
What steps did you take to turn the podcast from an idea to a reality? Was it easy to get the needed support, resources, and tools?
My manager really helped to drive this project forward. She got me the buy-in and gave me access to the tools I needed.
I know I’m privileged to be able to start my own podcast. Not everyone has a company that allows them to be vocal on such a platform. It’s something I explore in my podcast. It’s why I feel it’s even more important to have a podcast like this available out there, especially in the tech industry. I want to use my privilege to have a positive impact on my community.
The podcast is built to bring visibility to LGBTQIA+ issues, but who exactly is Working for Pride for, and what are you hoping listeners gain from it?
This podcast is for everyone. It is for people who want to educate themselves further and are willing to listen and learn. For those who don’t have Pride on their radar. For people who might not have come out yet. And for people who might have difficulties accepting themselves.
If I can bring representation through the podcast and say, 'Hey, actually, this is okay,’ I hope it can help them out a bit. That's my mission here.
It’s so easy for people who aren’t affected by gay issues to turn and say, ‘it’s not my problem,’ and the irony is, that attitude is a problem. Gay rights are human rights. So it’s everyone’s problem if we don’t stand together.
“I don’t necessarily love it when companies change their logo for Pride month and leave it at that.”
While June is typically the month of Pride in education and honoring everyone who has fought for all our rights, it would be nice to see this represented in the other months of the year too.
“Even being openly gay, I still felt the internal need to downplay my identity and personality”
Your podcast is a great example of what companies can do to keep the conversation around Pride going beyond a month. What else can companies and employees do to be more proactive in the space?
Companies can first promote Queer content and highlight people from different backgrounds, sexualities, and cultures. It's also essential to make sure diversity is present.
It's always nice to see companies involved with charitable organizations supporting the LGBTQIA+ community if possible.
While June is typically the month of Pride in education and honoring everyone who has fought for all our rights, it would be nice to see this represented in the other months of the year too.
I'd love to see more marginalized groups of people reach leadership roles, for instance. In my experience, many Gay people I know who have reached the top of the ranks have predominantly been self-made. For those who aren't, we need more paths to reach the same heights. I think there is a huge fear for many people that if they’re openly loud and proud, they might hinder their chances of rising the ranks, which completely contradicts the message of Pride.
I think the same can be argued for other minorities because many still change their personalities in a work setting instead of being their authentic true selves. It’s like a protective layer you have over yourself. We need to change this mindset. I dive further into this in my podcast.
As a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community, have you faced many challenges or predicaments with how you identify in the workplace that you can share with us (that you might not have covered in the podcast yet)?
People make too many assumptions. At the beginning of my career, I got confronted with personal questions like, 'Do you have a girlfriend?' which really isn’t anyone’s business. That led to me trying to avoid those conversations as much as possible by being quiet and blending in.
Even being openly gay, I still felt the internal need to downplay my identity and personality, for example, by focusing on the way I spoke or dressed. I’ve never felt unsafe to be freely me and express myself, but the lack of openly queer peers resulted in me feeling the need to do that. We all want to belong, and I never felt I did. Currently, I’m very openly and loudly gay, and it hasn’t had any impact on my professional growth.
What would you say to advocates of the LGBTQIA+ community who want to be heard and more impactful at their companies but don’t know where to begin? Do you have any advice you can share?
If you're looking to make an impact but not sure where to start, you can always look at creating a personal blog or podcast. You can also talk to your company about potentially sponsoring your content or getting some of your peers to collaborate with you.
When it comes to company support, it really is dependent on each business. I work in Tech Marketing, and I think companies working in this space are generally receptive to LGBTQIA+ projects. But if a company doesn't show any interest in being an ally to the community, then maybe that company isn’t for you.
Any last words?
Working with Pride is one of my contributions to talking about LGBTQIA+ topics throughout the year. It’s a very open and honest podcast between myself and my special guests, sharing stories about allyship, the beauty of being queer, our community’s contribution to society, an ongoing celebration of Pride, and so much more. I hope that hearing these stories will help listeners be more open, understanding, and empathetic.
If Working with Pride could help evoke more empathy in the world, I’d consider it a big success.
You can listen to all episodes of Working with Pride here.