Bakar Labs Celebrates Pride Month

What does Pride Month mean to you? we asked Max Nguyen of Catena.

“I am Maxwell Nguyen. I am a gay, femme, cis-gendered male. I am a Vietnamese-American scientist. These aspects are just a small portion of who I am.

“There are many LGBTQIA+ people in STEM, all with their own unique intersecting identities and experiences, but not everyone has the privilege to come out in the workplace for fear of retaliation. For me, being out, proud, and vocal in a professional setting is important to me because I see it as a major step towards creating equitable workplaces for LGBTQIA+ individuals.

“So many people have paved the way for me to be able to live as who I am, and for me to even have a job as a scientist while still being out. I want to do my part to continue the momentum, especially during these trying times where there are anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation being lobbied and enacted. Pride month is not only a time of celebration for how far we have come in terms of LGBTQIA+ rights, but also a time of advocacy. There is still much work to be done to continue to protect our rights to live and love.”