While February marks LGBTQ+ History Month in the UK, we wanted to connect with our US colleagues to share experiences across our global offices. At a time when many are feeling at risk, these personal stories from London and New York remind us why creating genuine connections with our communities and shared history matters.

Two of our colleagues - Laura Carvajal, Technical Director in our London office, and Bethany Rimpila, Customer Success Manager in New York - share their journeys, from growing up in Latin America to small-town Minnesota, offering perspectives on what it means to find community and bring your whole self to work.

Laura, based in our London office, reflects on her journey growing up and what LGBTQ+ history month means to her.

“As a lesbian and a child of 1980s Latin America, some of my earliest memories involve having rules all around me that made one thing very clear to little girl me: you do not get to be who you are. Put it away.

I grew up otherwise in relative privilege: middle class, access to a good education, health and just enough opportunity. I was only ever partly me growing up, but hey, ma, look at me, I got good grades!

In the 2000s, I, along with many other young Venezuelans, left a deteriorating homeland, leaving loved ones and part of myself behind forever. This time I fell on the privileged side of yet another unjust rule: if you have the random, unearned good fortune of a European passport, you get to leave and settle somewhere else where you’re far less likely to be murdered on your commute. All for the small price of life-long expat guilt.

Today I live in London, where, for all I was warned about before moving here from Spain (“The weather! The peas!"), it’s the first place -the first time- in my life where I feel I can truly be all parts of myself; all the parts of this beautiful intersectional minority in which I exist.

LGBTQ+ history month is my reminder of the year-long opportunity I enjoy, catching up on what I didn’t learn growing up. Learning about all the brave individuals who defied the status quo, often at great personal cost, so that today we could just be. We stand on their shoulders, we often say, but it’s also a reminder that our own shoulders are not free of that same responsibility. This is especially true today, as we experience just how fragile our rights to exist as a queer person can be in the face of hate.”

Bethany in our US office shares how she discovered her community after growing up in a rural Minnesota town with a population of just 1,000 people

“Growing up in rural (super rural – like a population of 1,000 people in my town rural) Minnesota, I didn’t grow up with a ton of knowledge about or access to the LGBTQ+ community. After graduating high school and moving to a slightly bigger city, I began to surround myself with other people who belonged to the LGBTQ+ community. After attending my first Pride march in 2019, I knew I had found my home and my people. 

I felt seen. I felt supported. I felt celebrated. It was truly amazing and life changing. 

Eventually, I was empowered to come out publicly and to my family, which was a huge moment for me. This only happened because of the fantastic and supportive community I was surrounded by. For the first time in my life, I felt so proud to be queer!

As I continued my journey as a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, I began to learn more about the history of the community. There are so many LGBTQ+ icons who have had amazing accomplishments, as well as hard fought struggles. When looking into the history of LGBTQ+ month, it really stood out to me that “the LGBT community is the only community worldwide that is not taught its history at home, in public schools or in religious institutions.” This is so true, and means that as a community, we need to continue this work and celebration.

Though Laura and Bethany's journeys began in very different places, their reflections highlight how LGBTQ+ history and visibility transcend borders. While we mark LGBTQ+ History Month here in the UK this February, these stories demonstrate the year-round importance of education, representation, and community across our global offices.

At the Financial Times, we remain committed to fostering an environment where LGBTQ+ employees feel valued, respected, and supported—wherever they are based and whenever they choose to share their stories.

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