My experience as an LGBTQ+ ally

Silvia Di Dio Roccazzella, Retail Inventory Control and Sales Auditor at VF Corporation, spoke about her experience as an ally in the LGBTQ+ community and what VF Group is doing to support individuals and create an inclusive workplace.

1. Can you please introduce yourself and describe your role within your organization?

My name is Silvia, Retail Inventory Control and Sales Auditor at VF Corporation. I am also co-leading the ACE group at VF (Attract, Connect, Engage diversity). ACE is a multicultural group focused on building an inclusive culture by providing opportunities for associates to connect with one another.

2. Have you been involved in any activities with your organization’s LGBTQ+ network, which ones?

Yes, I have attended many and was part of the Pride ERG before moving on to lead ACE. June – it is our month dedicated to Pride although we have year-round activations, is where the awareness and activities really ramp up – the group organized a Pride pic-nic in the arena outside our offices. Employees brought so much food to share with each other! It was nice to see people connecting, laughing, and enjoying the sunny day.

Another time, for example, we created a canvas where the associates made allyship pledges towards the LGBTQ+ community with painted fingerprints. Employees could walk through and add their colourful stamp on to the canvas, picking up pronoun pins and inclusive lanyards to further enhance our culture of belonging, its great seeing so many people wear them around our campus.

3. How can allies help create an inclusive workplace?

Allies can contribute firstly by identifying themselves as advocates, it is important that associates feel safe to express themselves and have a group of individuals to lean on. It is also beneficial to have channels that employees can use to report a situation without being judged. It also helps to have at VF Time to Talk. Time to Talk Reps are colleagues, trained as Mental Health First Aider. HR function can also contribute, distinguishing someone that supports the cause and that could be potentially an “institutional ally”.

4. What advice would you give to someone who wants to become an ally?

First, the person that wants to become an ally must really educate themselves and know the topic or challenges that any group may face. We are discussing a delicate subject and people should be careful in sharing advice and opinions. An ally is a good listener, empathetic, supportive, and collaborative, giving the right feedbacks and suggestions not appearing judgmental.

5. What has been your greatest achievement as an ally?

Being able to overcome any kind of stereotype has been a great accomplishment. Guiding my daughter to understand differences, for example she knows that our male neighbours live together as a couple. I think it`s important to grow children without stereotypes or biases of any kind. Also being an ally and co-leading at ACE represents to me a personal achievement and enriching opportunities. I love to travel, I`ve visited many countries and discovered different cultures. These experiences have taught me that different is not equal to negative.

6. What advice would you give to LGBTQ+ people to better welcome allies?

Sometimes LGBTQ+ people thinks that because you don`t belong to the community, you don`t understand them and so you cannot be really part of the group. I would give them advice to welcome different points of view. We are talking about a universal feeling, at the end. Sometimes people in the LGBTQ+ community feel the need to put on denominations to recognise themselves, but sometimes is maybe better to just be yourself without labels.