Pride through the years: Scott Neslund's journey to freedom and acceptance

Scott Neslund, VP Global Commercial Operations at The Trade Desk, spoke to myGwork about how Pride has developed over the course of his career. From his first Pride experience to the diversity and inclusion efforts at The Trade Desk, Scott describes what exactly Pride means to him.

Please introduce yourself and tell us about your role in your organization.   

My name is Scott Neslund, I’m the VP Global Commercial Operations at the Trade Desk. This is my fourth year working for the company, and I work with the Client Services teams which help our clients get maximum value from our ad buying platform. I was semi-retired when I was asked to join The Trade Desk, and the work they do here was so interesting to me that I decided to jump on board.

What does celebrating Pride mean to you?

For me Pride means freedom and openness. Freedom to be who you are in life and live your life to the fullest. Openness to express who you are to others without fear of judgement or retaliation of any sorts. There was a large portion of my life where I wasn’t open to my friends and family or to myself who I was as a gay man. Pride is a reminder to celebrate my life for who I am.

Pride is more of an evolution than a revolution. I come from a generation where Pride was not celebrated, it was not discussed - you didn’t have freedom to be who you are. What's so wonderful about Pride is this freedom and openness to be who you are without prejudice.

Can you tell us about your first Pride attendance and the progress that has been made for the LGBTQ+ community since then?

I think my first Pride celebration event was in Palm Springs CA over 15 years ago. It was the annual Pride parade which takes place in November because it’s too hot in Palm Springs in June for the event. My husband and I went with a group of friends and we rented a house for the weekend.

I remember such a strong feeling of togetherness and celebration watching the parade. I think most of all I felt a sense of unity and no fear whatsoever.

Things have definitely changed since then. When my husband and I were married in 2012 in New York, NY was one of only a handful of states where gay marriage was legal. That changed in June 2015 when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriage. That was less than 10 years ago. But we have to remind ourselves that nothing is guaranteed forever, things can change over time. That’s where the momentum for Pride should be.

How can we ensure that Pride is inclusive for everyone within the LGBTQ+ community?   

I think it comes back to my points about freedom and openness. The community continues to welcome people into the Pride celebration – both new members and allies. Give people the freedom to join the celebration and be open to everyone joining. I think we could all use a little more open arms and a little less judgement in the world today.

I love how the gay community has expanded to other communities that need protection. I call it the umbrella of security - we’re stronger in greater numbers.

Could you share your most memorable Pride experience so far?   

I think my most memorable Pride experiences are tied more to the people I was with versus any location or party celebration. I have been very fortunate in my life to have a loving family and very good friends. We support one another and we look out for one another. I believe that having solid and trusting relationships in your life is the secret to continued happiness. So, when I think back on Pride, I think more about the people I celebrated with and how lucky I am to have those people in my life.

Do you believe it is important for organizations to celebrate Pride, and if so, why?

I do think it’s important for organizations to celebrate Pride. When an organization recognizes Pride month it sends a message to the employees that everyone has equal rights, and they support the fact that people have the right to be who they are.

At The Trade Desk we have an outstanding Inclusion & Belonging group that organizes and promotes initiatives like Pride recognition across the company. We highlight LGBTQ+ executives in webinars for employees to understand important issues to the community. And we do all the small things that add up for people as meaningful – Pride zoom backgrounds, Pride theme lunches, Pride email signatures, opportunities to volunteer for charities that benefit the community.

I think it’s the recognition of Pride that matters most and then giving the employees multiple ways or venues to celebrate that people appreciate the most.

Looking ahead to next year, what do you hope will be accomplished in relation to LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance? 

I do have a fear that gay marriage could be taken away from us given the current direction of the Supreme Court. So, for me I hope, at the very least, that we don’t roll backwards in our rights from where we are today.

After that I hope that rights and acceptance can continue to expand to areas of the country where people still don’t have the freedom and openness that I enjoy in my hometown of Chicago. Just because we have Pride celebrations in places like NYC, Chicago, LA and San Francisco, doesn’t mean that is the standard experience across the U.S or the rest of the world.

It comes back to freedom and openness for anyone who doesn’t have that in their life today.