Allyship in Action

Kristen sat in a large conference room; their palms clammy against the wooden table. Their heart raced, each beat echoing the seconds ticking away on the clock. The meeting was scheduled to end at 10:00 a.m., and it was now 9:50. Ten minutes. Ten minutes until she would reveal the news that she had rehearsed countless times.

Opening Up

“Anything else you want to talk about?” Their manager, Matt Peterson asked.

Kristen’s mind raced through various scenarios. She didn't know whether sharing would allow for positive dialogue or whether it would negatively impact their professional reputation as an HR partner and make them feel psychologically unsafe. But it wasn’t something Kristen was willing to hide much longer.

At the time Kristen Gallo, an HR Business Partner, hadn't shared with anyone outside of their family and friends that she was a part of the LGBTQ+ community, so this was a pivotal moment.

“That was the first brick of laying the foundation of my identity at work,” Kristen shared.

They told me they felt like I was someone they could trust, and the more I opened up the more I felt like I could be that representation and that safe space for other people.

Matt looked at them, Kristen took a deep breath: “Actually there is something that I wanted to tell you about,” and shared that she was a part of the LGBTQ+ community.

“Matt’s response was so supportive and from that moment on I knew I could trust him and that he respected me as a person. Even if he was the only person that I felt comfortable talking to about it at the time,” Kristen explained.

A Safe Space

Over time, Kristen began to open up and share with their colleagues. Each time it went well, and each person was supportive of them, giving them confidence to be their full self at IP. At one point Kristen hosted a respect and dignity training for new hires and a new employee came out to her not knowing she also was a part of the community.  

“They told me they felt like I was someone they could trust, and the more I opened up the more I felt like I could be that representation and that safe space for other people,” she exclaimed joyfully.

This opened the door for Kristen to be a panelist for Pride 101 last Pride Month, which lead to more dialogue from coworkers and incorporating watch parties for calls that the IPride employee networking circle (ENC) hosts.

Kristen is a Lead Team member of the IPride ENC, made up of LGBTQ+ identified individuals and allies committed to:

• Building connections among LGBTQ+ identified individuals and Allies and improving engagement across the company
• Raising awareness of LGBTQ+ issues via events and activities