Queerly Equipped

This episode explores how LGBTQ+ identity shapes professional ambition and corporate success. The challenges in the careers and business of queer persons, and how they are pushing boundaries through authenticity, strategy and hardworking to drive success and innovation. We would uncover the power of LGBTQ+ mentorship networks to accelerate your career growth.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Until a man is able to get pregnant, go through their nine months labor while still pregnant, be carrying another child, and still go to the farm to go and help their partner weed and still carry food. No watching India. Then still heavily pregnant and back in a child and still come home being followed by one lazy dude who is only holding a cutlass, right? And then get home and still put everything down and cook, serve their lazy partner, right? And then in the middle of the night still perform their marital duties until men are able to do that. No man should come and stand in front of me and tell me, forgive my word, nonsense.

SPEAKER_04 1:14

Some also believe that it's a cult where you join and then automatically you get money. Today we want to dive into being queer and navigating your business or your career. We want to look at the daily struggles that queer persons who are in the career industries face, queer persons who are in business, their daily struggles. We want to look at all of that. Somebody here, somebody here, someone is always here, ready to listen. Let's talk. And I'm your host, Alpha Female, and this is Rainbow Highlights Podcast.

SPEAKER_00 2:14

Hi everyone, my name is Razi, and I am an activist, and also um I advocate for economic empowerment for career um youth. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:24

Hi everyone, um, my name is Eddie. Um an activist, um, advocating for the rights of um minority groups, especially LGBTIQ plus persons in Ghana.

SPEAKER_03 2:35

Hi everyone, my name is Abna, and I'm a business owner.

SPEAKER_02 2:39

Hello everyone, my name is Mayombo. I'm a traditional princess and a business woman.

SPEAKER_04 2:48

Okay, it's so good to have you all on board, and I couldn't think of a better panel than this one. So, welcome everyone. People have this misconception that queer persons are lazy, they don't wait. But being in the community, we know how individuals are really working hard to make ends meet. They are grassroots members of the community who barely even afford a three-square meal a day, and it's not as if one yes you read that there are a lot of systems in place that are hindering them from gaining that economic empowerment. Can you speak to any challenge or barrier that you think is limiting for your persons who are they are able to not end up with a weird market, but there are some sort of barriers that are limiting them even from getting employment or something? Can you speak to that for us?

SPEAKER_01 4:04

Right. So, um I think there are a lot of angles to look at in this question. Um, and I think the barriers sometimes it's like they are very systematic. It starts at an angle that a lot of people will not even probably look at. So, as a queer person, right, more especially those those of us who do not necessarily conform to you know societal expectations of how you should look or present. So, I'm talking about like um our what we call the Kujubisia, you know, the shout out to the Koju Bisia gang. So we are looking at um the masculine presenting um women and then the very effeminate um men into sister sisters or yeah, Kujobisiya phono. Usually when you are growing up in this society, right, and you express quite differently into even in the educational system, right, you are the educational system would force you to either develop a tough skin, or if you want to pursue the education, yeah. So if you want to pursue the education, you develop a tough skin, or if you know you are faint-hearted, you are forced to leave the educational system. And what that does is that you'll find most queer people having to phone out of school. Not because you'll be forced to leave the education because there really isn't anybody to defend you or support you or to encourage you. Already na pressure free fear, but yeah, say we could you be see anything, and I would say, my dear, yeah, yet you understand? And you now you find yourself to be effeminate. Fear pressure about school pressure, but and now for pressure, but teacher pressure, but baby now to me, they end up just leaving the education system. And then what happens? Yeah, your co-school cry said, or more co-school promised in your mama says crying, and then remogane. Now one co school and you get. So there is that challenge where most queer people, especially effeminate or masculine presenting people, are not able to finish the education. BC crowd. So there's that challenge of very limited education. We formal education if you want. Now let's even talk about the vocational skills bit of it. And no so crane to say we are new, would the carpentry near and auto mechanic new, and our personal cousin. You get. Then you are also a man. Maybe we are feminist, or would you need a my diana three year how many salos that are gonna say be bajina or bats do so eh? Very few. What do you say? Or like there's basically there are so many barriers from education to society to everything else. Then there are the few that are able to push through, and then it be a when we're school, maybe when we're GHS, maybe you have a YC certificate or even um an HD or a degree, whatever, and then you have to go and look for work in an institution that has a culture that is it is actually built to cough you out. And if I'm not going ahead of myself, I can share the experience. So I worked with before coming into the activism space, I worked with a corporate institution. I'm not going to mention them because now they might come for me. They have this dress code. You know how our Friday we do the Friday where wear uh African Prince, now what pounds and then you know in corporate institutions, like they have styles. And then your man's style. Now me and Maya Bari. Yes, I mean slit and cover. Wow. And then I tried to speak to my manager to let him understand that I will not function properly. I will not be productive in the slate and cover. My manager really didn't have a problem. But there was this manipini be aware you meho. That woman will not have it. You understand? So I will I was forced to sew the slit and cover because I need to keep the job. But now when I go to the office on Friday, I'm not productive. Because I mean sorry. Even if I have to get up to go and attend to a customer, me and sorry. So somebody else will have to come and attend to that customer, you understand? So it's though I am forcing to conform to their culture and everything, the system is frustrating me and preventing me from being productive on that Friday because I'm being forced to wear a certain clothing that I'm not comfortable with. So the barriers there are very systematic.

SPEAKER_00 9:02

Thank you, Eddie, for going into those um perspectives. Um, I also touch it from where you know those who have taken um gone to formal education and now they've been able to secure a job, as Eddie said, they have been there is this systematic um systemic um oppression or discrimination which um queer people would have to face. Now there are no any um policies in place to even accommodate those people who are already there, so no inclusive policies that will say that as Eddie said, if there was an inclusive policy in that area whereby there is proper implementation measures, they would have resolved that issue. But because there is no inclusive policy, Eddie would have to leave the job because on that Friday he would not be able to what um function um properly or maybe um be productive. One challenge is that there is no inclusive policy in in the former cities. So, for instance, if I'm supposed to work work at a bank, there is no policy that would say that because I do represent myself as a feminist, maybe someone is be is discriminating against me due to how I express myself. How is this policy going to protect me as the employee over there? There are no policies like that. Now, let's also go into um people who are in the informal setting whereby they are they are actually doing something small to take care of themselves when there is this kind of stigma and just and discrimination out there. When someone finds out that, oh, a man, you are a man who is very, very effeminate. You prepare some small endobe that you sell, and these small, small boys come there to come and buy from you, and some of them will be coming, help you assist you in cleaning the boats and those kind of things. Someone will stand somewhere and be like, This person is gay. Your child who is who has been going there all the time, he will do something to your child. So go there, and the parents or the family would have to go there and gather more and you know, mob to attack this person who has been able to gather some small money to establish something small, a small business to do something, you know. So these are all challenges that um peer people face. Again, another challenge is that you you would want to even go for loans and you don't even get loans because you go you go there the way you are in entering the bank, the looks that they will give to you alone will discourage you from going for the loans. So even those who are not able to even complete their schools and gain any formal education would not have anything to even use as collateral to go for loans and other stuff. So these are all challenges that squeer people face when it comes to um their business.

SPEAKER_02 12:01

There is a place in the crowd where we normally buy rice. The place is called Supiumo. You can just imagine how the people were feeling from the scratch. At this point, they are used to the name. The food is nice. Call me Supiomo. If you are coming to buy, I really don't have a problem. Initially, that house was stigmatized, and then it went on and on and on and on till they realize this thing will not stop. So then they are living their life. Okay. So there is this guy who sells indoming, like he say, his um he's a gay guy in my area. He prepares the indomit very well. Where he sells the indomit, there are some people who are called weed boys. They buy from him. Most of them are his friends. They sometimes who organize boys from other places to come and beat him, destroy his things. When they complain, then one would be like, he's asking me out. Then I mean, Dominican hour. And then the business collapsed. There is another lady who was selling kills already. She was selling the killerwilly before another lady started selling beside her. At a point, when someone is going, sending the daughter or the son to go and buy killer, then she'll go like, and it goes on and on and on and on like that. When you don't get the chance for education because of your sexuality, you want to do something for yourself. And then people are tagging you. There was a day we were in Bokola, and then someone is saying, Oh, okay, so I need to go do some consultation from a traditional person. Then the person asked, Who? Then the person was like, I'm going to Asima C's place. The person was like, Where are you and if you're superior? So this are a lot of things that people face, like in the community. So it's not as if they are lazy or we are lazy, but the stigma and then the things people say around your business, it discourages you from getting into business.

SPEAKER_03 14:45

Yeah, I also like to share a little experience. Um, I am into catering, I do cook for people and I do surprise packages. So someone introduced me to a person to like surprise the girlfriend. And when I I usually I used to do it with my partner, so we go together. So when we got there, like the person talked to me without knowing who I am because someone recommended. So when I got there, after everything, the guy asked me that um, did you prepare the cake yourself? I said yes. Who is that person that you came with? I said, Why are you asking? This is my worker. Why are you asking? He said, No. Was the person present when you are preparing the cake? And I was like, Yes, then I'm not eating this cake and I'm not giving you a balance. I'm like, what the fact? You are not giving me my balance because I am working with a masculine represented person. So it's not like we don't want to work, the biases and the discrimination is too much. So if this and when you when you get this kind of comment, it affects your mental health because we are all human and we can't be always strong. We are also like we are human. I can't always have a tough skin. Even the person that the thing was directed to was not broken. But me sitting at uh at the I was so broken. Well, this is my business, and there are people at the party, and you were not even hiding it, you were seeing it in front of the people. So, one, you are outing me, and you call the person that recommended me. Ah, I'm recommending my lesbian and I was like, My lesbianism is different. Now I am here, I am selling my business. This is my business, this is what I do for a living. So you have I have and I I provided the service accurately. So give me my money and let me go. I was I was ready to create drama because no, you can't just come and rub whatever of my face. So a man came and he was like, What is happening? And I narrated everything to them. And the man was like, Ah, did you see them having sex together? Or because the person is uh dressing like this, you just concluded, say the person is a lesbian, and it gave us it gave me my balance, and I went out. If not, that I have a like I am really into that business. I want to do it like that day, I would have stopped doing it. And I know people that would have stopped doing it because I can't do it alone. I need somebody to help me. And if you want to run a business, you need someone you can trust. And this is the person that I trust that can help me. And if I go out with this person and I'm getting this comment, then what are we doing? It's not that we don't want to work, we really like working, but the society is oppressing us, so we can't function properly.

SPEAKER_04 17:29

Well, I think when it comes to conversations like this, the perspective that homophobic persons don't explore is that put the person's sexuality aside. Is the service they are rendering good? Is this something that you you would want? Because then I've also had people not related to my sexuality, but I've also had very stubborn clients as a K Crafts person. I've also had very stubborn clients that mean you want fedwancaster, and then I marked them and said, You uh you are not going to get my services, even if you bring me billions, I'm not going to give you anything from my business or from my services. And so, what the person did was to order from me using a different person, and I got to find out when they were making payments, and then I and I was like, I know this name, I know this name. And then I went to cross-check and I realized that ah, this is the person I blacklisted. So, what I did was the petty alpha female, I called the person back and sent the money back to her and said, It is you again, I don't want to work for you. She used another person to order, and when I found out, I sent her money back and said, It is you again. I blacklisted you, you are not getting any cake from me, I'm not working for you. And so she got to know how serious and how petty I am. But like sometimes business running a business is not that easy, and so all these things that come at you will even if you have a tough skin, there is one that will pierce your Achilles heel and it will get you. So I have had this conversation with a lot of peer persons who own businesses, and this the the value is always the same. People are always saying, Oh, this, that, that. I I I my makeup artist is a trans woman, and I've recommended her to a lot of people, and then they say, Oh, he she's so good, and sometimes they misgender him. Oh, he's so good, but I don't like being around people who are so girly. I mean, I don't like that this could just be seer people would send a bad signal. There was a a client of mine who wanted a makeup artist for her wedding. I recommended this trans woman, and she said, Oh, I mean, I've seen what he did for you. I like it, but I don't think my in-laws and my family members will be okay if this person should come and do my makeup. And then she was given a lot of stories. So I don't know, but I I the work that this person did for you is really good. And I asked, madam, do you like or you don't like? Don't come and stress me and come and stress my makeup artist. And anytime I'm recommending a queer person, I always fight their battles for them. Listen, can you? Because I can't let you stress the person for me. So then I go straight to tell you this is the person. Do you like or you don't like? Nah, or chine biambecado, no yeah, so I don't want to hear any nanzo nanzo in my ear because I I I, as a frontline activist, that is one way that I can support you while shielding you from embarrassment, shielding you, even protecting your security and your sanity as well. And so I get how these arrows are flying from all angles, and it's making it seem like queer persons are not putting in so much effort when they actually are. That aside, do we believe that all these things are influenced by culture and tradition? The fact that people believe that oh, this is a man's job, and so if you want to do this job, you have to be a man. So this is a woman's job. If you if you want to do this job, you have to be a woman. Like people imposing jobs on people and genders on people. So I I have had I've had conversations with a queer person who told me that oh, I really wanted to be um a cosmetologist, but my father said. No, I should go to architecture school and I should family legacy, blah blah blah. That is why I'm asking this question. Do you think that most of the challenges that queer persons face in even aligning with one particular business or career is influenced by cultures and traditions?

SPEAKER_02 22:22

Um I'll say yes and no. Yes, I'll say yes and no because my grandmother, who is 90 something, the one who comes to do his polish, hair polish. My grandmother is an elderly old woman, but she once stayed in the US. So the one who comes to do the polish and then they will dye the hair, it's a it's a it's a kojubicia complete. Sometimes when the boy comes to the house, she'll go like, oh, oh, no koni wobei. She wants the boy to cook for them to eat. She always wants to be around the boy. The one who takes care of my spirit is kojubisia. So I personally I don't think it has something to do with that. But on the other hand, society has already designed what we should who should do what, and that is what is working. Plus the hate that has been planted in humanity head against the community. That is what is bringing all this.

SPEAKER_04 23:36

Yeah, that is what I think. Okay, so to you, a a part of tradition enforces this, another part does not enforce. Okay, okay. Okay. Abna, do you have something to say?

SPEAKER_03 23:53

Yes, to me, I think yes. It enforces it because um we are living in a society where women are supposed to be in the kitchen. So if a man is going to the kitchen, you are not a man enough. So people end up teaching their male children not to go to the kitchen, not to know how to cook. And people end up grooming their female daughter to be subjected to the kitchen. So this is something that is like for a very long time, is the norm. So if a man wants to go and do a catering job, like what are you doing in the kitchen? You want to go and stay in the kitchen, you should be clamping rooftops. And if a woman wants to, even to the education, thank and thank goodness for like for now, things are getting better. At first, people don't even, you know, you can't even go to school as a girl child because they know that even after your schooling, you will still end up being in the in the kitchen. So it's like the society has programmed everything, and people are even people, that the people coming up now are blindly following it. Because I've heard people telling my daughter that we all buy, you should sit like this. And I try to like tell that tell them that you can't tell my daughter how to sit. If she wants to fly, let her fly. You can't tell my daughter to behave like a woman. How should a woman behave? I am a woman, how am I behaving? You you if we until we stop doing that, training young women that are I mean, that a woman is supposed to be like this, a woman is supposed to be submissive, a man is supposed to be fearful and all that, it will not change. So a man can't look handsome again. So that is that is library. How does society and I don't I I don't know how it because even uh I will share a story. Um, a woman, she's a policewoman, and she was she was married to uh I've forgotten the man's job, and according to their their job, the man comes home at 4 o'clock, and the woman comes home at 7, 8 o'clock. So normally the woman cooks on weekend and puts everything in the fridge. So the man, when you come home, what you have to do is go to the fridge, take whatever you want to eat with the children and microwave it. But this man will at first the man used to do it, and later on, his friend came around to like better them. And his friend was like, Ah, now dear, I don't think the friend came and meet him in the kitchen. Why are you cooking for your wife? They were Jimmy Woo. And the man stopped doing it. It's not you are not even the one cooking, you are just taking the food from the freezer and microwave it and feed the kids and yourself. This man will wait for his wife to come home seven o'clock. So come and microwave the food for him and the children, and it kept going on. The woman is herself shared it. The woman was like, like for some months, she was like, Ah, I think when the thing started, we were like, A Bia is tired or something, doesn't want to go. But continuously, so one weekend later, the woman refused to cook, and the man was like, Why are you not cooking? The woman said, Oh, I'm tired. You have to go and cook, so what will we eat? And the woman was like, But you can actually prepare something. You you have been helping me in the kitchen. So he the woman overheard the friend, the the guy talking to the friend that why say on median call maidrian. And the boy was like, Same catch or say with Jimmy. And it's caused a lot of problems in their relationship. Just because another man is telling this this man how to live it. What is there in you going to the kitchen to like microwave food that you did not cook? You did not cook it, just microwave it. So it's like something that it's it's like it's normal. Like we see it to be normal, and nobody's even like talking about it. My problem is the the one coming up, how you are teaching your children. I am training my daughter to be an independent, so you should train your son to be an independent person too, and not be a domestic live. My child. Your daughter is not your slave. And if my daughter, if she will get married and I am still alive, then let's leave that for another day.

SPEAKER_00 28:05

I know that. Uh yes, the thoughts on all of what I wanted to say. So, in for me, it's it's the systemic genderism that we have in in society, which which translates into misogyny and bigotry, where people do not want to um, you know, the stereotype women. Women are supposed to do certain kinds of jobs. Yeah, they are not because women are so weak, they can't do certain jobs. You can't be an engineer, you can't be a carpenter, you can't be um, you can't do certain jobs. Men are supposed to do those job jobs. That's they believe that women are not smart, women are not are not strong. So men are supposed to do those things. That's why when they also see that those kind of gendered occupations that they've given to women, when men go and do it, why are we giving you a very higher position? Go and take it, and you don't want to take it. You want to go to where you've given to women. For me, that's how I see it. It's that systemic um, you know, genderism and misogyny and you know the bigotry and that kind of thing. So they prejudice women. So that's that's that's that's the that's a problem that we are facing as a society.

SPEAKER_04 29:21

This stereotyping is really screening a lot for us, given that it's like you're saying, it's so systematic, such that uh movements like feminist, the feminist movement had to be very intentional about pushing for affirmative action bill and also implementing STEM projects in schools to ensure that women find themselves some sort of percentage in male-dominated careers and industries. And this, if we have to consciously push for a percentage of women to be in parliament to hold positions in industries, if we have to be very, very intentional about starting STEM-related projects in schools to ensure that there is girl child in robotics, science, um, technology, then it shows how messed up the system is. Because it this shouldn't really be an issue. But if we have to be so intentional, go to parliament every day, write a bill, go reform the bill, come back, plead, lobby that it has to be passed and all of that, then it shows that the system is so tightly knit and we are even struggling to break through. And so this the someone might think that this is just affecting biological females only, but it goes a long way to have an effect on the gender itself. Men who are passionate about doing other things are holding back because of what society is going to say about them. Women who also want to explore other areas in career and in business, artisanship are also holding back because of what society would say about them. And interestingly, almost all the time when women, biological women, find themselves doing something that is in the male-dominated industry, whether you are queer or not, you are you are just tagged, you are profiled and you are just tagged. It's the same with um men too. A man who knows how to cook is is just deemed as effeminate. Just because they know how to cook, they may not necessarily need to do anything, but the fact that they love the kitchen, they are tagged us. I have heard someone ask some a man who cooks very well that Aden, forgive my language, yeah. But the man didn't do anything, he wasn't in skimpy clothes, he wasn't in any feminine clothes. But the fact that he has exhibited his interest and his flair when it comes to cooking, he's been profiled as being queer. And and he he's not a queer person, but he's also feeling the heat on the side.

SPEAKER_01 32:30

I was going to throw in patriarchy, but I think you did a good job with that. Let's let's not forget that there's culture and society, but then religion also came to do an amazing work by wiping you know women out of their system. We women don't matter, yeah, when it comes to religion. Um but then I I always say that until we erase our history of Yasantua, who fought a battle that men were running away from, until we erase our history of and what's the name of the lady who designed the Ghana flag, Theodosia or Ko or something, until we erase her off as an artist, which would ordinarily have been a man, right? Until we erase that history off. And now let me go a bit into um religion. I think there's also something around Esther, yes, until we erase that part, Esther ends with exactly until we even erase off how Islam came about. So Mohammed got involved with a woman called Khadija, who was much older, was a businesswoman, was rich. Right. I remember around that time there was a lot of wars that were being fought. So if you want to be able to fight any meaningful battle, you might want to look at being rich. And if you get with a woman who has the money and can support you, well. Now, Khadija didn't get rich by sleeping and waking up to be a rich businesswoman. She was breaking barriers, she was doing things that other men probably couldn't do. So until we erase all this history, then it will be very unfortunate that we are only paying attention to men and thinking men are um better or stronger than women. And then I also say that even going into our villages, until a man is able to get pregnant and have go through the nine months' labor while still pregnant, be carrying another child and still go to the farm to go and help their partner with and still carry food. No a chichuri in mea, no they are tune, it's usually the innocent then still heavily pregnant and backing a child and still come home, be followed by one lazy dude who is only holding the catlass, right? And then get home and still put everything down and cook. Serve the lazy partner, right? And then in the middle of the night still perform their marital duties until men are able to do that. No man should come and stand in front of me and tell me, forgive my word, nonsense. So I think it's important that we teach our girl children this history, this fact that a lot of men are trying very hard to erase. Once we constantly keep reminding our girl children that there are people that broke their status quo and did amazing work, if we keep teaching them this, I think we there's still some a lot of hope. Yeah, there, you know, the feminist movement or the women's space in the future as career-oriented queer persons.

SPEAKER_04 35:43

Do you think that we can, and this is a general question, do you think that we can leverage our identities to push whatever that we are doing? As business owners and as career, do you ever think in any way your sexual identity is a plus in anything that you are doing? Is it an advantage? Because what I'm trying to do is trying to find something good. I'm I'm I'm it's like trying to find a needle in a hayssack just to feel good about myself. Do you think that uh uh identities can be leveraged as a strength in our businesses, in our careers, especially in this hostile environment that we find ourselves?

SPEAKER_01 36:38

I will say, I think it depends on maybe the society that you are living in or the class, okay, the class in the society that you are living in. Um, I know a lot of women, right? Rich women who would rather go for a a trans woman or an effeminate man who is a makeup artist, who is a chef. Personally, I'm looking for a trans woman who is a gynee. Yeah. Or a gay man who is a gynee. I would all the everyday go. Yeah. So um I think it depends on the, like I'm saying, if if you know the higher society, the higher the class, the more you are able to care, people are able to be themselves and be able to um thrive in certain um um spaces. The lower we go, the more difficult and impossible it is for you. You you can imagine the you can imagine the looks that um an effeminate man who is selling kinki by the streets will have as opposed to an effeminate man who is a chef in a five-star hotel. But this one would experience something different, and this one would also experience something different. I will wholeheartedly give my house when I get money and I'm building, right? I'll wholeheartedly give my construction contracts, bro. I'll wholeheartedly give that contract to a masculine presenting woman or a trans man, right? Then give it to a cisgender heterogue. Because if if you can break barriers and get to that level, it means you know what you're doing. Yeah. But if you are in like you know, you are at the low level and I'm sure I'm because you know, so they want what they want. You get so I think it depends on the level of society that you are in, then you are the higher you go, the more you can be yourself and excel in whatever field that you find yourself in. The lower you are, unfortunately, it's very difficult, I think.

SPEAKER_02 38:45

Okay, so I'll also say that um it'll all start with that. When we patronize ourselves, whenever it's festive season, I'm going to get fabrics for my festival. When you go to the market, you want to do something, party and all those things. And then there could be a could be a guy is involved. So it's high time we start patronizing ourselves. When you know a community member who is good at something, you patronize the person and then recommend the person. When we start patronizing ourselves, and then you come and then I tell you this thing was done by this person. If you want, the person will do it for you. You can't tell me to give you the star to go and give it to someone else. I won't. I will not give it to you. If you want the same thing, patronize whoever did it. By so doing, I feel it it might help. Because society is showing us shaky, so we have to add Banza to it and give it back to them.

SPEAKER_00 39:48

Yeah, the shake Banza. Yes, so it's all about the rainbow economy. Like we have to build a rainbow economy where we patronize ourselves because the moment we start patronizing ourselves and we make sure that the money flows within our circles, that's where that's where the power comes in. That's where we get economically empowered. You know, the money doesn't go out of the community, it stays within the community, flows within the community before it goes even outside. Um, the other thing too is that it's about self-development. We as community members, we have to develop ourselves all the time. We shouldn't just stay there. If you know that you you can you can do this kind of particular thing, improve yourself every day, make sure that you are improving yourself every day to improve the work that you are doing as a community member. That's where I think you can really, really thrive. And also, we can also leverage on social media, digitization. Like we can use social media where we see that there are certain trends going on and people are leveraging on that. We can just push our businesses in there to see whether we can we can thrive over there because yeah, social media is also making people get money. Why don't you also make good use of it? So I think that's also one thing we can also do as community service.

SPEAKER_03 41:01

Um, my colleague has said everything I want to say, but um one thing I want to add is before your sexuality, you are you, you are a low human being, your everyday life is not is different. So if we can like the way you are saying that we should support ourselves, because currently from where I am sitting now, I don't see anything like privileged because of my sexuality or something. I don't see anything that is because the sexuality is there and I am there, like my my life is not all about my sexuality. So if we can like at least leverage on like supporting each other, patronizing each other. I am at a point in my life now where I don't want to buy anything from anybody, I want to like buy from community members, even if it is not the best, I still want to support them because I wanted to make my hair, I was looking for where to make my hair, so I had to like pick up from where I am. There is a lot of salon, but I want to go and make my hair at a clear person's place because even not even not I see like a sense of belonging when I am there. I can freely receive my call with my partner when I am there. I can freely do my video call when I am there without me looking at oh who is pipping or who is like checking on my phone. So if we like all of us, like all of us in this room are like buying things from ourselves and the money is not going outside to this homophobic people, we'll get there.

SPEAKER_04 42:31

Okay, I guess this is a wrap-up then. So my message to our listeners is very brief. All I want to say is that we see you, we appreciate all that you are doing, and you have our love and our support. However, what we can do, as we've already mentioned, is to patronize each other, depend on each other for products and services. By then, like Razi said, we'll be pushing a rainbow economy. That aside, there are a lot of organizations who are organizing projects that not only empower queer persons who own businesses, but if you want to start any business, if there's anything that you would want to know, there are a lot of queer hubs for business owners and future business owners that you can reach out to. So please make use of these opportunities as and when they come. Now we have dived deep into a conversation where we touched on the challenges that we face as queer individuals and how we navigate our way around our businesses, our careers. And this whole conversation's end game was to let everyone know that Charlie, yeah, re bro, the hassle is so real, and big ups to everyone who gets the motivation to wake up every day.

SPEAKER_05 46:31

We pray for a door to open, but that door was mama's coochie. I know we all stay hoping for open doors, pause and use. We decide then we know no self-say we decide since the doors been open, but we still greedy from all those use. I have a life, I got the knowledge, so don't eat the fees. You meet the doors, you change the locks, I still go find the keys. And if you eat that up, that meditate to find my bees. That's why it's hard for me to drop my keys and chase your keys. Focused, I'm fucking focused. Nothing go touch this focus. While we stay, I've been working hard, some I still wiping noses. I'm growing please up my doses. Feeling like I'm the chosen. One way they calm the open. I got you all open. And then if you die, never allow it, but recharge your energy. I'm living life and I keep breaking memories.

SPEAKER_06 47:21

These melodies, uh because I got a bow, wanna bow, topia put up, on a gala, wanna make it a little bit more.