Building Pride
Business Network

Diversity and inclusion to me means being an ally to others that do not yet feel safe. Especially given our current social justice environment, we need to leverage whatever privilege that we each have, taking explicit action and amplifying the voices of others that don’t enjoy the same. Pride has to be for everyone to ensure that anyone that feels marginalized achieves justice and equality. No one is safe if anyone feels unsafe.

I joined Building Pride because I wanted to take my personal experience of being out in the workplace and hopefully help others feel welcome and comfortable to be themselves. I love volunteering and educating people about the LGBTQ+ community to bring awareness, while also creating a safe place for colleagues to share their experiences, feelings, and educate one another. It’s been an amazing experience so far and I’m very thankful that JLL Building Pride has allowed me the opportunity to network and make some really close friends while representing the LGBTQ+ community.

Pride for me is not an event, but a quiet sigh, an easing of anxiety. It’s your son leaving for his first Youth Pride rally, smiling in a way that loosens the grip of fear in your heart. Fear not only of discrimination, but also of heartache, of cruelty, of someone telling the child you would walk through fire for that it’s not OK to be who he is. Pride is watching that child bloom with love and acceptance, from himself and others. I joined Building Pride because everyone deserves that feeling, every day.

Diversity and inclusion efforts in the workplace are imperative because they challenge inequality and build perspective. They create a space in which our differences are not only encouraged, but celebrated. We must promote acceptance in order to form genuine relationships with each other and our clients. These relationships are the foundation of our business, and the more backgrounds we represent, the more value and perspective we’re able to bring to the table.

My passion for diversity and inclusion comes from years of being in an environment where I did not have someone to advocate for me to be me. And I never want to have anyone else experience that. We simply cannot assume someone else will advocate for “doing what’s right” — it’s up to all of us to do that, daily. Being part of Building Pride means I’m actively contributing to the culture of making everyone feel like they belong and can bring 100% of who they are to the great work we do at JLL.

I joined Building Pride to try and find a community that is inclusive and diverse. It’s important to me because I believe in treating everybody equally, regardless of who they are. Now more than ever, we have to stand against all prejudices, bias and racial injustice and be allies to the communities that need it. People face discrimination on a daily basis because of who they are and what they look like, and building a community where people can engage and be free to be who they are is a privilege. We are lucky to find that space and it’s our job to fight with those who cannot.