Lessons from the Lesbians Who Tech Summit 2019
I always wanted to attend a Lesbians Who Tech Summit, but I never thought I’d have the resources to go. So last month, I jumped at the chance when my company offered to fund my trip as part of a recruiting effort. The summit spanned three days in San Francisco’s Castro District. It included an impressive lineup of speakers (think Stacey Abrams, Kara Swisher, London Breed), and sessions about everything from Kubernetes to imposter syndrome.
I attended in my capacity as both a technical writer at Indeed and the communications lead for our LGBTQ+ employee resource group. Together with several other Indeed employees, I spent the weekend chatting with attendees about my company and the current climate of the tech industry. Though I unfortunately wasn’t able to attend any sessions, I still gained so much from the summit. Here’s a high level overview of what I learned.
We’re doing phenomenal things—in tech and beyond
The most important thing I learned from the summit is that there are so many people in the LGBTQ+ community who are committed to improving the tech industry and the world. In my conversations with attendees, it was not uncommon for me to hear I started my own company, I created an app, I'm a Director, VP, CEO. It’s so important to have representation at every level, but it’s especially cool to see so many LGBTQ+ leaders in one place. I'm glad to know that people in my community are changing the industry and doing big things.
Beyond that, companies represented at the event showed off some of the cool things they’re doing with the help of their LGBTQ+ employees. Zipline uses drones to drop medical supplies in underserved countries. John Deere’s technology powers autonomous farm equipment. Twilio aims to have a 50% female employee population at their company by the year 2023. I was pleasantly surprised by the diverse range of areas impacted by the LGBTQ+ community and our allies.
Authenticity is key
One of the best parts of the LWT Summit were the authentic, genuine conversations I had with attendees. I’m a natural introvert, so I had to stretch a little for my recruiting role at the event. In speaking with people, I found:
You can’t be afraid to start the conversation. I really enjoyed understanding people’s backgrounds and concerns, and I never would’ve gotten that far if I hadn’t spoken up. It’s really as easy as saying “Hi, how are you?” This is a lesson I’ve brought back to implement in discussions at work.
People want to be heard. In tech, we’re constantly surrounded by incredibly smart, incredibly caring individuals. Strong connections start when we listen to one another, validate each other’s concerns, and consider how we might address them. We should let people speak their truths fully and completely before jumping to conclusions.
It’s okay not to know all the answers. I sometimes get nervous about speaking up at work for fear of being wrong, but the summit taught me that being wrong is a perfectly fine place to start learning. A couple of times, I was caught off guard with attendee questions. But I found that all I had to do was acknowledge my shortcomings and lack of awareness, and people were more than happy to help me understand their perspective and why it’s important.
Overall, there was a refreshing amount of respect permeating each interaction. It made the experience enjoyable and energizing instead of draining.
The future of tech is intersectional
Addressing LGBTQ+ individuals' concerns helps everyone. I was surprised by the honest conversations I had and the wide variety of questions I received at the LWT Summit. I didn't expect to answer questions about ageism or about being a parent at my company, and it taught me an important lesson. Inclusion isn't just about improving the lives of minorities in tech—it's about improving the world we all live in.
LGBTQ+ people come in all forms, and it’s important that we work together to address everyone’s needs—not just those of people similar to us. It can be really easy to fall into a groove of “minimum viable activism.” In order to truly make change, we need to step outside our comfort zones, start the difficult conversations, and help each other thrive.
Change starts with the individual
I really believe we need leaders within tech companies to step up and champion inclusion efforts—not as an HR issue or a profit generator, but on a genuine humanitarian level. But it takes more than that. We need employees at all levels to foster inclusion in all areas of work.
The most frequent question I received at the summit was “What’s it like to be gay at your company?” In asking this question, I knew the querents didn’t want to hear our senior leadership team’s rallying cries or the size of our pride parade float. They wanted to know what the atmosphere is like during the humdrum, day-to-day moments that make up the majority of our working lives. That’s where I believe most companies have room to grow. So we, as individual employees, need to consciously reach out to others outside our typical groups—for lunch, for friendship, for the betterment of tech.
Overall, the Lesbians Who Tech Summit changed my career trajectory. I left for the summit jaded and discouraged, but I came away from it fully reinvigorated by the things I saw and the people I spoke with. In short, the Lesbians Who Tech Summit bolstered my confidence and my engagement—both in my role and in the tech industry's future. I'll definitely be at the next one.