PRIDE with Unbound
With eight full-time employees, the Unbound team can only be described as a small, but dynamic family. More than half of us identify somewhere under LGBTQIA+ umbrella, and we're proud as fuck.
Below, three of our Unbound Babes share a bit about themselves and what being LGBTQIA+ means to them now.
Kate, Senior Designer
Have you always identified as queer/pan or has there been an evolution in there for you?
Growing up I always identified as bi because I didn't really have the language to describe myself any other way. As I got older and met more and more people who identified as genderqueer or gender nonconforming I realized that gender is pretty unimportant to me in terms of attraction and who I wanted to be with.
What social issues surrounding the LGBTQIA+ community are you most passionate about?
Inadequate healthcare access, specifically in relation to the transgender community. Gender identity discrimination is still a common problem in the health care industry, paired with frequent denial of insurance coverage and treatments that are crucial to the transgender community (ie: hormone therapy, surgery, counseling).
What does it mean to be LGBTQIA+ in 2019?
Well, I identify first and foremost as a white cisgender woman, so for me SPECIFICALLY, being queer in 2019 is all about checking my privilege and listening to my fellow qpoc/tpoc and learning and growing from them.
Do you have a coming out story or was it a bit more organic?
I definitely never came out in any formal way. I dated both boys and girls really early on (I had my first girlfriend as a junior in high school) and it always kinda just felt natural. My family never made me feel like I was doing anything wrong, but I guess we also never really had a talk about it.
Favorite queer person to follow on social media?
Not a person, but a married couple, @sateenmusic. These gals keep me afloat in hard times.
Nisreen, Chief Operations Offer
Have you always identified as a queer femme or has there been an evolution in there for you?
Great question! I initially identified as bisexual, but eventually settled on "queer" because I'm not simply attracted to cis men or cis women which made the bi label a little limiting.
What social issues surrounding the LGBTQIA+ community are you most passionate about?
Anything and everything concerning trans women of color. It is SO important for our activism as queer folk and allies to be hyper intersectional, especially when it comes to queer trans women of color. QTWOC were the catalyst behind many of the movements that we have benefitted from today and yet remain marginalized in both the straight and queer communities alike.
What does it mean to be LGBTQIA+ in 2019?
Depending on where you live and the community you're in, being queer in 2019 can be pretty fucking awesome, or it can still be hard as hell. The great thing about existing in the 21st century is that we have access to tools and technology that allow us to build chosen family and community online. However, those same platforms facilitate bullying and can encourage dangerous perspectives and behaviors. To be queer is to be grateful for increasing opportunities to shine bright like diamonds, while remaining determined in our activism and welcoming in our communities.
Do you have a coming out story or was it a bit more organic?
It was an organic process. I came out slowly to different groups of people while I was in college.
Is there anything you wish more people knew about being queer?
Please don't ever respond to anyone coming out to you as queer with "I didn't really get that vibe from you" or "you look really straight." Don't do it. Ever. Seriously.
Favorite queer person to follow on social media?
HARPER WATTERS (@theharperwatters)!!!!
Shazi, Senior Customer Experience & Supply Chain Manager
Have you always identified as pansexual or has there been an evolution in there for you?
In middle school, I identified as bisexual for a few years.
What social issues surrounding the LGBTQIA+ community are you most passionate about?
Preventing the erasure of any identity and validating flexibility within the spectrum. Also, tackling toxic masculinity within the queer community! I've had a handful of cis gay men in my life think that they had unlimited access to my body simply because there was no sexual potential, and that's not right. Agency is agency and consent is consent, no matter who you are and who you're into.
What does it mean to be LGBTQIA+ in 2019?
It means freedom, and it means finding your own definition for who you are. The best lesson I've learned through my gender studies and my own experiences is that validation and understanding comes from within.
Do you have a coming out story or was it a bit more organic?
I was thirteen! I barely had to come out to my friends! We were kind of a circle of queer babies. My family was a whole different story. I told my brother first, and he said many hateful things, but that didn't deter me. I don't think my dad understands my sexuality, and I've had to "come out" to my mom at least three separate times, haha! She's been awesome about it, and was super supportive with my first queer relationship.
Is there anything you wish more people knew about being pansexual?
Before you decide to tell it, know that we've heard the jokes about being attracted to pans and kitchenware a million times already. Truly. Also, pansexuality and bisexuality are not mutually exclusive, nor are they mutually inclusive. Individuals will tell you how they identify!
Favorite queer person to follow on social media?
Jaboukie Young-White (@jaboukie). What a blessing he is to this Earth.
Emily, Senior Content Manager
Have you always identified as queer or has there been an evolution in there for you?
I’ve always FELT it but I only began to identify as queer 2 years ago. I remember when I was in high school, I grabbed one of those “Am I Gay?” pamphlets from the nurse’s office, took it home, and barely read it before tearing it up and digging through the garbage to make sure it was stuffed at the bottom. It’s been an evolution.
What does it mean to be LGBTQIA+ in 2019?
For ME, it means defining my own sexuality and identity for myself and allowing others to do the same for themselves. Enthusiastically welcoming nuance in sexuality, gender identity, and expression. Being a little slutty. Rejecting assumptions. Googling lots of questions.
Do you have a coming out story or was it a bit more organic?
It’s definitely been organic. I’m extremely grateful that I grew up with feminist parents, but I feel especially lucky to have such a supportive, queer group of friends —they’ve created an environment where an organic process can be possible in the first place.
Favorite queer person to follow on social media?
The amazing artist Gabriella Grimes (@ggggrimes)!! Their IG stories literally get me through the day.
Sarah Jayne, Chief Creative Officer
Have you always identified as bi or has there been an evolution in there for you?
I’ve always had a very fluid sense of attraction. I didn’t think about labels a lot in my 20's. I certainly never felt straight but I’m pretty introverted so the idea of being vocal about anything that has to do with me is always a little terrifying. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to embrace labels a bit more. I’m in a lovely committed relationship that has made me a lot more comfortable and unapologetic about defining who I am.
Do you have a coming out story or was it a bit more organic?
It’s been a pretty chill, organic thing. I think that’s the reality for many people—you tell the ones who matter the most and you move out slowly from there.
Is there anything you wish more people knew about being bi?
Bi representation is rarely accurate. Women are always portrayed as super sexed hellcats and the dudes (the few that are written to begin with) are always portrayed as gay but in denial. I am living proof that you can be bi and carry a sort of casual, sweatpants driven energy.
Favorite queer person to follow on social media?
Benito Skinner (@bennydrama7) and Queer Appalachia (@Queerappalachia)
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