For many members of the LGBTQ+ community, Pride Month isn’t just a time to celebrate the victories that individuals have fought tirelessly to achieve over the decades, but also a time to reflect on how we can further advance equality and equity for the LGBTQ+ community at large. There is so much to be proud of, indeed, and there is joy to be found in the work yet to be done.

In celebration of Pride Month, J.P. Morgan Wealth Management sat down with four J.P. Morgan employees in the LGBTQ+ community to learn about their lived experiences showing up as their whole selves in the workplace and beyond.

Our featured employees include:

• Kevin Hale, Head of Marketing for J.P. Morgan Advisors
• Robert Knox Hayes, Wealth Advisor for J.P. Morgan Wealth Management
• Joseph Hahn, Wealth Planning & Advice for J.P. Morgan Wealth Management
• Sarah McReynolds, Content & Communications for J.P. Morgan Wealth Management

Read on to learn what each participant shared about what Pride means to them, how they will be celebrating this year, their hopes for the future of inclusion and more.

Thanks so much for being here today to share what Pride means to you. When you were looking for a place to work, did you feel like your identity played into where you chose to apply?

KEVIN: You know, what's interesting is that it didn't. I've been at the firm now for over a decade – I celebrated 11 years in April. Prior to joining, I was at a smaller asset management firm, and I wouldn’t say I was “out” there. I wasn’t in the closet, but I wasn't out, either. I just felt like I would go to work and kind of put on my corporate costume and simply play that role.

What was interesting, though, was that when I went through the interview process here at JPMorgan Chase, I met with around 11 people – two of whom were out gay men, and that was really cool. They talked about all the resources and everything. But even after I got the job and started, I was still, you know, a little conservative and trying to feel everything out.

And then I remember walking into 70 Park Avenue, our old headquarters, in the middle of June – and there were rainbow flags everywhere. I was like, “Wow, this is really, really cool.” I was coming from a company of around 3,000 people, so joining J.P. Morgan felt like corporate to the max, and I didn't expect to see that. It was an invitation to be my authentic self, and leaning into that has been so great.

Robert, what advice would you give to a colleague who might be struggling to embrace their identity in the workplace?

ROBERT: I think my go-to advice is, “Keep it moving.” I've definitely had times in my own life and career where I didn't know who I was, or there was difficulty embracing myself fully, or even worse, believing what other people would say to me about who I was. But the one thing that always got me through was to just keep myself moving forward and to not compromise on my authenticity. I kept exploring, and I stayed open-minded but committed to telling people who I am. If you fall down, you pick yourself up. Sometimes, somebody else will pick you up. Cherish that and embrace them, they’re your community.

Keep it moving and you will find yourself and then your community. Don’t worry, you’ll figure out the “it.”

Joseph, how would you describe your community that you’ve found here at J.P. Morgan?

JOSEPH: It's the best. I’ve worked for a lot of LGBTQ+-supportive companies in my career, but never anywhere nearly as supportive as J.P. Morgan. They don’t just talk the talk, they walk the walk as well. When it comes to my connections here – especially my colleagues that work in the Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs – I'm constantly inspired by the work they do and the community we build across continents. It really is a community of people who share a common set of interests and who genuinely strive for equality.

A lot of folks who don’t identify as LGBTQ+ might wonder how they can authentically advocate for this community without commandeering the spotlight. Sarah, what do you think makes a good ally?

SARAH: I think there's something to be said, especially in this day and age, for being vocal in your support for the community. This can be hard to do since you don't want to take up too much space in the conversation, but you also want to make sure that people know you're a safe, reliable resource for them.

So really, it’s about doing that “back-end” work to truly understand what it takes to be a good ally, right? It not only involves doing your research and preparing for important conversations if and when they arise, but also about proactively vocalizing your support, which can be really helpful. More importantly, what are your hopes for the future of inclusion in the workplace and beyond, in your day-to-day life? How do you express those hopes in your actions?

It’s been great to see more and more LGBTQ+ representation, especially over the past couple of years during my time at J.P. Morgan. But I think true allyship includes more than just promoting representation and celebration of the community in the workplace. It's also about how these conversations can center around the ways people live their lives as queer individuals and not just the fact that they're queer individuals. I think that's the hope for all of us.