Breathe
By Liliana Romandía Manzo
I have never liked the sound of the word lesbian. Although its origin goes back to Sappho of Lesbos, a Greek island, where the poet dared to write poems of feelings between women, I still find it difficult to pronounce or even hear it. I attribute this aversion to its phonetics or to the inherent connotation of contempt and rejection. Or perhaps it is because when things are said, they already exist.
Either way, it's just a word. Nowadays, besides being a woman, being part of the LGBT community demands a lot of courage to face the prejudices and accusations of the majority of the population, including family members and loved ones. The risk is always present.
Being a lesbian in the workplace means adding a number of additional disadvantages that hinder women in positions of power and leadership. You have to go against the grain. It is still almost imperative to foster the illusion that men must have beautiful and available women at their service. A lesbian woman will have to overcome, in addition to gender-specific disadvantages, the lack of the charter of being a man's prospective wife, girlfriend or lover to advance with less difficulty. She will not have the respect and consideration for her personal life, since she does not have children.
She is no longer expected to be the tender, prudent and elegant woman who moves carefully so as not to stand out, except for her beauty. Here, there is no need to cross her legs; she must stand firm, be able to move her hands without hiding, with determination and confidence, qualities commonly labeled as masculine. These characteristics, which challenge gender norms, are not only an act of resistance, but a statement that competence and authority are not exclusive to men. Being a lesbian in the workplace also means facing invisibility and stigma. Lesbian women often must work twice as hard to gain the same recognition as their heterosexual peers. This double burden includes constantly proving their professionalism while navigating a work environment that can be hostile or exclusionary.
The data is revealing: according to a Human Rights Campaign study, 46% of LGBTQ+ people hide their identity at work for fear of discrimination. In the case of lesbian women, this figure may be even higher due to double discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation. In addition, a Stonewall report indicates that lesbian women are less likely to be promoted compared to their heterosexual colleagues. The dominant corporate culture often overlooks the needs and perspectives of lesbian women, perpetuating a cycle of exclusion and disadvantage.
I am a Mexican woman, a millennial, born and raised in the province, in the north of the country. A husband, three children and a white house with a pet were supposed to be enough motivation to finish 20 years of school and apply them to cooking, plants and my children's education. Like many, I never questioned that destiny, I just moved forward.
It is highly probable that I fell in love with my first best friend and did not know it. It took many years, many marches and the birth of new generations to realize that the path I had been invited to walk was not going to be mine.
When you recognize that you have feelings for a person of the same sex, your brain triggers and activates its survival instinct, which takes over. You know that this will constantly expose you to vulnerable situations. So much mental noise gets in the way of connecting with your feelings. It is important to make choices and be very honest with yourself and others.
In my experience, one of the advantages of daring to be who you truly are in a world or country that is not ready to think differently is freedom. The freedom not to follow a set of pre-established steps or stereotypes, because there simply aren't any. I am often asked about this, and I respond that there are no rules or patterns that one must conform to. That gives you a tremendous responsibility to prove to yourself that, even without brakes, you can be a lesbian woman with a healthy and successful life just like anyone else.
Here the prize is to be happy, and by happy I mean to be congruent with what you think, feel, do and say. To be able to have strong feelings for someone without fear, shame or guilt is a real luxury that places us above those who do not want to change their ideas based on ignorance, hatred and limiting beliefs.
Today I can say, from my trench, that the month of June is my favorite because I take advantage of the dates to express that love for myself and for others is a non-negotiable value, which is above what people will say and all the obstacles that may arise.
Being a lesbian in a leading position in the world of work is not only a matter of personal resilience, but also of redefining spaces and norms. Every achievement, every promotion, and every day of authenticity at work is a step towards a more inclusive and just environment for all women. That is why, in this Pride month, I celebrate my freedom and the freedom of all those who courageously dare to be themselves, breaking the mold and building a future where diversity is the norm, not the exception.
*Liliana Romandía Manzo heads marketing and innovation areas and has experience in corporate leadership positions.
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
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