Allyship: Finding Commonalities in Our Differences

Mario Lamas, Manager for Accenture Industry X, spoke to myGwork about the value of authentic allyship, what Accenture are doing to support LGBTQ+ individuals, and how non-LGBTQ+ people have become involved in their Pride network. He also provided advice to those who want to be more vocal in their allyship, and discussed what he would like to see in the future of LGBTQ+ representation and inclusion in the workplace.

Please introduce yourself and describe your role within your organization.

My name is Mario Lamas. I am a manager in Accenture Industry X, which is an area that focuses on digital transformation. I'm also the co-lead for the Pride Network for the UK.

What is your experience of being a member of the LGBTQ+ community compared to showing active allyship?

In my experience, being part of the community has always been positive. We all have our own ups and downs, but I think the community overall has been very accepting. It doesn't matter who you are, where you're from, especially because I'm not natively from the UK, I'm originally from Mexico. Being surrounded by different people makes it easier to establish relationships, because you find commonalities in those differences. It's always been positive to just find people that are akin to you, that have gone through similar stories. I think it ties nicely as well with how we can show allyship inside the community.

"Just showing acceptance and support and making sure that other people know you understand what they are going through. Maybe not 100%, but that there's at least some sort of empathy about their situation."