Why are you passionate about Pride?
Beata: I believe in freedom and being yourself very strongly. I think there is still a lot of work to be done in Poland for the Pride community, and driving the change is the best way to make the change we want to see. Our differences make us stronger - we should celebrate it.
Maciej: Poland certainly has had its challenges in the last years regarding LGBTQ+ issues. One good thing to come out of it is the awareness levels surrounding LGBTQ+ causes, terminology, issues and rights. I really hope this will translate into major positive change. On a personal note, I am gay and I decided I can no longer silently wait for the change while I can do something about it. So besides taking part in all Prides, supporting NGOs and signing petitions I decided to do something in my professional environment, especially as UBS provides a great opportunity and safe space for all employees.
Ada: As Beata and Maciek, I am also involved in the UBS Pride network and agree everything they’ve said. I have always had plenty of LGBTQ+ friends, and for me it was obvious that being non-heteronormative is completely normal. But it wasn’t until several years ago that I’ve realized that it’s not obvious for everyone, and there are great inequalities in our reality. Fair and equal treatment of everyone, despite who they are or who they love, is one of the most important values for me and I couldn’t watch my friends being treated like they were of a worse sort. I am Psychologist, supporting and educating are one of my main missions, so how could I just stand there and wait for the reality to change itself? I have decided to take an action and become an ally. I’m glad that UBS gives us the opportunity to take such action.
How did you first become involved in the Pride network?
Maciej: Someone mentioned it to me, and I (excitedly) thought “Oh, we have a Pride Network at UBS, perfect!”. So, I joined one of their calls and met great people like Beata and Ada and then the rest of the gang that joined later.
Beata: The simplest way - thanks to people around me. I was very lucky to join a team where I already had a friend who was a member of Pride. Thanks to her I also met other great people and now I co-leading the network. We’re happy to develop the network together and on the top of that, we also became friends.
The Pride network itself seems to be pretty diverse. Tell us more.
Ada: We represent different backgrounds and departments in UBS, which is really great because that gives us various points of view. Apart from being part of the Polish network, we’re also part of the global UBS LGBTQ+ community.
Maciej: We’re members of LGBTQ+ community, allies and supporters, Polish and non-Polish. Due to the pandemic, we haven’t had many opportunities to meet in person but as soon as situation stabilizes, we definitely will! We’re proud to have more than 300 people across the organization in Poland that subscribe to our newsletters.
There are more DE&I networks in UBS, do you work with them?
Ada: Yes, we do. And the collaboration between DE&I networks proves that we’re all part of a bigger system – just as humans have different sides, e.g. someone can be female, lesbian, and POC at the same time. Strength in numbers.
Beata: I’ve noticed that the difficult situation we faced with the pandemic also helped us to connect. We started working together as our topics and concerns overlapped. We can do more, and do better, by joining forces. So far we’ve done a Christmas event with our Wellbeing Network and Transgender Visibility Day with our Gender Network. The event we recently organized was a session about inclusive language, and representatives from all of our networks participated.
Maciej: Let’s not forget the Living Library event with our Women in Technology, race and ethnicity networks! A lot of DE&I topics overlap or touch similar subjects, so whenever we feel like it may bring some value added – all hands onboard! The more the merrier! We also exchange experiences and learn from each other in the process. It’s all about networking, isn’t it?
