Wise at Pride: an open letter

Hey, I’m Ross and I lead the People team here at Wise.

This year’s Pride is a particularly poignant one for me. It’s the 50 year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. In June 1969, New York City, the brave actions of a few, like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, set in motion a change that will never, ever be forgotten.

Fast-forward to today and the courage of my predecessors enabled me to do life changing things like marry the love of my life, Chris, two years ago. For that, and on behalf of millions of others like me, I will be eternally grateful.

This year, I will march in Pride with my team at Wise. We’re a company created by and made for people without borders. We have over 1600 employees in 12 countries from over 70 nationalities working together to make the world a bit more open. We know the world is better borderless. And we’ve worked hard to build a culture at Wise where everyone can bring their whole selves to work.

So, with Pride, it made perfect sense to show our support and dedication towards love without borders. We're proud to have marched in Budapest and Tampa Pride last year. And now, for the first time, we're so excited to take part in Pride in London, too. It’s a privilege to be involved and raise awareness for LGBTQ+ rights around the world.

Right now, not everyone in the world is able to live the life they chose. Many in our community still experience discrimination, hatred, and violence. And often, it’s those who are the most marginalised who face this oppression. We must continue our efforts to stop this from happening — because we’re not free until everyone is free.

For me, that means honouring the work of those who stood on the frontlines at Stonewall that night, and celebrating the hard-won progress that allows us to live so freely today. But it also means taking stock of the ongoing work our community and allies must do, and paving the way for the future I want to see.

I hope that taking part in Pride will raise awareness, break down borders, and bring about change for those who need it most.

Onwards
Ross