Help Protect LGBTQ Traders Online!

[TLDR: You can help put an end to homophobic and transphobic harassment of LGBTQ traders by calling out, flagging, and standing up to hateful comments and slurs in trading forums, groups, chats, etc. If you run a trading group and support the LGBTQ community, please let it be explicitly known in your group rules that you do not tolerate homophobic and transphobic commentary. Allies can help make a major difference!]

June is Pride Month Across the World

Some of you may or may not know that June is officially Pride Month for the LGBTQ community.

This is a month, when all across the world, anyone who identifies as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer celebrates together through parties and local festivals on different days of the month.

It is a very public celebration in part because it’s an opportunity to reaffirm that LGBTQ people will no longer hide or quietly be subject to violence or persecution.

Just this year, the treasury building in the US raised a pride flag on its mast to signify this special month.

Now, some of you may have been wondering for some time now (perhaps even a minute or two since clicking on this post) whether I’m gay.

To answer your question: No, I’m not gay.

Am I bisexual?

Yes!

[Oh sorry, I mean YASSS.]

Personally, for my entire life, I have found certain people attractive regardless of their gender. I won’t say something so resolute as “I’m only attracted to a person’s personality” because that’s not true, I have physical preferences and tend to be drawn to people due to a mix of physical and emotional reasons, most importantly where their heart is and whether I can trust them. (Like most people do!)

I’ve been in serious relationships with both men and women, and am currently in a deeply committed relationship with a dude.

Two Important Points

Whew.

You have no idea how hard this is to share, knowing I’m releasing it to the most heterosexual and male viewership that is the greater trading community.

Which also helps me segue into the core reason why I decided to write this post. 

The thing is, and you may have already seen or experienced this in the world of trading forums and groups, is that there are many traders out there who are homophobic and transphobic and often use those feelings to belittle or attack other traders or just spew hateful reactions into trading forums.

It is difficult to learn from a trading course or group when you feel unsafe and uncertain about communicating with other traders.

So I have two main reasons for making this video instead of focusing on business as usual.

What I want to emphasize today is that if you are an LGBTQ trader, you are not alone.

There are plenty of us out there and please reach out to me if you know of trading forums or groups where we can better connect and maybe build a private group if there aren’t any that are longstanding. I’d be more than happy to do that through the Disciplined FX platform, so please let me know if I can be of help in any way.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Second, and more importantly, I am crying out for help to any trader who is not part of the LGBTQ community but feels supportive to make an effort to call out and flag homophobic and transphobic comments on trading boards, and in trading chats. If you are someone who runs your own trading community, please monitor and remove these hateful posts in your own group.

Also, If you run a trading community and support the LGBTQ community, please be vocal about this, and explicitly state in your group rules that you do not tolerate homophobic and transphobic comments.

This is something I’ve included in the Disciplined FX group, as well.

We don’t know if we’re safe or welcomed if it’s not said.

While I am here to mostly talk about LGBTQ issues in trading communities, I also want to note that this runs true for women traders as well, who are often belittled or a target of unwanted sexual attention just by way of being involved in trading groups.

Please be an active ally because you are often one of our greatest sources of safety and support.

I want to end this post on a note of hope and elation for how far we’ve come, how amazing younger generations seem to be at accepting LGBTQ people and being able to feel more secure in exploring sexuality and gender. (Y’all amazing!) And also how amazing it is that some older generations seem to finally come to a place of acceptance and peace as past societal biases are let go of.

This is not to say that there isn’t still progress to be made. Over 375 transgender individuals were killed last year solely as an intended hate crime. Gay and lesbian marriages and even the right to be LGBTQ is not recognized in many countries still.

A global arc towards peace and loving acceptance will only continue to progress when allies and LGBTQ folk work together to continue to influence and change the minds and hearts of those who weaponize belief systems out of hatred.

It is both exciting and terrifying to say this publicly but I hope I am just one of many traders now and in the future who can help democratize trading resources and education for everyone.

I wish you all a happy pride month, paint your ema’s rainbow for the next four weeks, and I wish you all nothing but the best of strength and luck. Take care!