Pride at Sylvera

Pride at Sylvera

At Sylvera, our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee’s overarching mission is to ensure all our employees feel valued, appreciated, and comfortable bringing their whole selves to work on their terms. We want employees to know that all aspects of their identity are accepted and celebrated. During Pride Month, we’ve focused on learning about and discussing gender identity and sexual orientation.

SyLGBTQ+

These employee-led discussions have been primarily made possible by our SyLGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group (ERG), which was Sylvera’s first ERG formed in November of last year. SyLGBTQ+ serves as a network and a resource for LGBTQ+ employees fosters general awareness of LGBTQ+ employees and their contributions and serves as an advisor to the People Team for LGBTQ+ related issues.

The ERG is founded on principles of respect and celebration. We strive to create a safe space where everyone’s voice is not only heard but amplified and empowered.

Part of celebrating our queerness is sharing it with others and making the whole company a safe space. With that in mind, we organized a company-wide quiz which proved to be not only a learning opportunity for everyone but also great fun!

Members of the SyLGBTQ+ ERG determined what discussion topics and formats would be most impactful for the members and their allies within the company this month. It was decided that we would host a book club, which has traditionally led to meaningful conversations and exchanges between our employees. We also invited a guest speaker, Noah McQueen who is from the climate space, to hear an outside perspective on the intersection of LGBTQ+ identities and climate.

Pride Month initiatives

This month’s book club focused on the book Life Isn't Binary: On Being Both, Beyond, and In-Between, by Meg-John Barker and Alex Iantaffi, who both identify as non-binary. Apart from giving valuable insight into the (non-)binarity of gender identity and sexual orientation, this book addressed and challenged the key issues with binary thinking regarding our relationships, bodies, emotions, well-being, and sense of identity, and set out practical ways to think in more non-binary, both/and, or uncertain ways.

Our participants discussed the damaging effect of binary thinking, society’s outlook on those who exist between binaries, the complexity, and intersectionality of identities, and highlighted examples of groups who are under-represented in the media.

In addition to this book, our team has created a collaborative list of films and other media that offer a good representation of LGBTQ+ individuals and experiences, beyond stereotypes often depicted in mainstream media. These recommendations, along with LGBTQ+ definitions and history, are accessible to all Sylverans within our growing DEI Learning Hub.

Our team also attended a Fireside Chat with Noah McQueen (they/them/he), the Co-founder and Head of Research at Heirloom, and Max Pisciotta (they/them/he), Ph.D. Candidate in the Clean Energy Conversions Laboratory at UPenn. The discussion covered intersections of being queer in climate, shaping a workplace culture, solidarity with the trans community, and being an agent of change.

Ongoing commitment

At Sylvera, we understand that the journey toward inclusivity and equity must be ongoing and not limited to Pride Month.

“It means a HUGE amount to the whole leadership team that Sylvera is a space where everybody feels not only safe, but CELEBRATED for bringing 100% of themselves to work." - Samuel Gill (he/him), Co-founder and President

Each month, with help from our DEI committee and our ERGs, we focus on a relevant topic to educate ourselves and make Sylvera a safer and more accessible place for everyone, regardless of their gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, and ability. We are committed to taking concrete action to do so, including an upcoming employee-initiated learning session about being a better ally to minority groups.