By: Dom Brassey
Hello, world! We officially launched Uncharted, a new employee resource group for LGBTQIA+ people at Mapbox. To celebrate Pride, we’re sharing our “coming out” FAQ 😉.
What’s up with these colors?
The Uncharted ERG logo uses what’s known as the trans- and QTPOC-inclusive version of the traditional rainbow pride colors. These colors signal our explicit attention to intersectionality and our commitment to address how racial and gender diversity shape the experiences of people in our LGBTQIA+ communities.
Are we implying that the Pride flag, the symbol of literally “every color under the rainbow,” could be more inclusive? Yep. We discover constantly that even communities ‘trying their best’ are inevitably unaware of viewpoints outside their own experiences. (For us, those communities include tech, Mapbox, and LGBTIA+ people.)
In other words, intersectional perspectives from trans and POC people have raised the bar for how the queer community at Mapbox thinks about inclusion. We include additional colors in our Pride stripes to recognize these collaborative contributions we have merged into our ‘branch’ of the movement for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
LGBT∞
People encountering the LGBTQIA+ acronym or other variants like LGBTTQQIAAP often ask: “At what length does this acronym become unreasonable?”
We believe it’s vital that the ‘LGBT’ acronym always be extended include letters that are slightly confusing or discomfiting to our allies. No acronym will ever sufficiently capture the limitless, shifting refractions of SOGI (sexual orientation and gender identities) — any more than “1492–2008, A.D.” captures the idea of time.
In our acronym, we include “I” for intersex and “A” for asexual. We choose to use LGBTQIA+ (lesbian gay bisexual transgender queer/questioning intersex asexual +) as a way to take responsibility for staying on the frontiers of inclusion, and inviting our learning community into the ZPD.
Wherefore art thou ‘Uncharted’?
We chose the name “Uncharted” for our ERG because it’s a cartography term, but also because it emphasizes the emerging nature of identities as one of the principal realities of queer people and communities. We emerge by discovering our experience, and we “come out” by communicating our experience to others. In other words, “coming out” is how we chart new territory.
We recognize that people with disabilities also “come out” every day, as do survivors of sexual assault, members of minority religious groups, people who are undocumented or seeking citizenship, and others.
Although the idea of “coming out” became mainstream thanks to 20th century LGBT advocates, it is now a concept shared by many social movements — much like the Black Power and civil rights movements laid the groundwork for the LGBTQIA+ movements we know today. The name “Uncharted” makes a claim to “coming out” as a part of the cultural legacy of queer people.
So, that’s our story…for now. Uncharted joins the Mapbox ERG ranks alongside Intersections (supporting people of color), and Compass (our original ERG, supporting women and gender minorities in tech). The collective mission of our ERGs is to foster an inclusive culture within and around Mapbox — and here’s why:
Our team collaborates every day to steward a living data set — a map of the world that changes in real time. As a location platform, discovery is our mission. Empathy helps us welcome all explorers.
Your support matters
As an employee resource group at a tech company, we’re asking our tech community to celebrate what LGBTQIA+ people contribute to the world by donating money to organizations that provide crucial support to our people. To suggest additional groups, please comment below including the URL of the organization.
HIPS — http://hips.org
Health, rights + dignity through harm reduction in DC.
SMYAL — https://smyal.org
Supporting + mentoring LGBTQ youth advocates + leaders in DC.
TJFP — https://transjusticefundingproject.org
Funding grassroots, trans justice groups run by and for trans people.
NCLR — http://nclrights.org
Advancing LGBT equality through litigation, legislation + advocacy.
Want more?
Read about all of our Diversity & Inclusion initiatives, and check out mapbox.com/careers for opportunities to be part of this.
Introducing Uncharted, the ERG for LGBTQIA+ people at Mapbox was originally published in Points of interest on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.