First of all, if you have not already follow #shecoded and read those articles. They are all very well done and give a far better story than I can. Follow the women who stood up to write those posts, give them some props 💕 🦄 🔖. Some of the stories there are really eye-opening to what women in tech go through, and may open your eyes to how some things get interpreted by others.

We are different

Everyone is different, embrace those differences. Not everyone is the same, but we all deserve some level of being treated equally as our unique selves. We all deserve the opportunity to have a voice. If someone is truly introverted and public speaking causes them serious anxiety don't push them to speak up. If they are afraid to speak up or being a bit shy give a bit of a nudge of confidence. Confirm that their voice matters too. We all have different experiences through life that cause us to have different thoughts and ideas.

A book that opened me up to understanding differences was five languages of love. It may be a bit different context in our professional lives, but I think some of the ideas still apply. We are all different people and we want to be treated in our unique ways, given equal opportunity for success.

I am an Ally

I'm an ally and I will Listen
I'm an ally and I will encourage other voices to be heard
I'm an ally and I will let others choose when they want their voice heard
I'm an ally and I will embrace our differences
I'm an ally and I am proud of anyone who can step into this heavily straight white male-dominated industry
I'm an ally and I will congratulate and promote accomplishments
I'm an ally and I will respect the wishes of others
I'm an ally and I will teach anyone who asks for my help

I'm an ally and I will not take extra credit for it

If you made it this far seriously go read some articles from the shecoded tag.