#proudtobeagoogler :-)

#proudtobeagoogler :-)

Originally shared by Life at Google

Googler Spotlight: Shwetha Pai & Smruthi Narayan

In honor of #Pride , we're spotlighting members of our Gaygler and Google Trans* employee resource groups throughout the month of June. Shwetha Pai (left) is an Account Planner in our Hyderabad office.

How did you get involved in India's Women's Gaygler ERG?

After we came out of the closet in early 2011, my partner Smruthi (who is also a Googler) and I, decided to join the Gayglers-India group. We realized that there was a need to create a space where people felt comfortable being themselves. When we came out the Diversity team played a big role in helping us settle in and we wanted everyone to have the same experience. Additionally, we felt that we needed to create forums where we spoke about what it meant to belong to the LGBT community and the importance of having allies.


What Women Gaygler ERG projects have you been involved in on campus and in the community?

We helped organize the Google contingent for the Bangalore Pride that happened in 2011 and 2012. The participation in the Pride parade in 2011 was the first time Google participated as a company in a Pride event in India. Additionally, we organized a post Pride TGIF so the allies that marched in the Pride with us could talk about their experiences. We also organized Sum of Google events consisting of a transgender monologue and a book reading which focused on a mother coming to terms with her son's sexuality. We also regularly participate in external corporate events focused on LGBT topics.


How have you been involved in organizing Pride activities for 2013?

Hyderabad had its first Pride this year in February 2013. We were a part of the core team that organized the Pride in the city. At Google we helped form the Google contingent and were instrumental in making Google the largest corporate contingent participating in Pride events this year. We also plan to attend the Bangalore Pride to be held later this year.

In India we do not have a separate Women's Gaygler ERG since we are only three people in the India Google office who are out of the closet. We only have a Gayglers-India ERG. Smruthi and I came out of the closet together and have since then been a part of all the LGBT events. Since we participated at the same events and organized them as a part of the same team, the above answers are a cumulative effort.

To learn more about how we’re celebrating #Pride2013 at Google, please see our post (http://goo.gl/7bXz9) from earlier this month.

#GooglerSpotlight

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