Protecting the Family

Read the story:

Tell us about your career and moments that have impacted you. Moments that made a difference personally:

• Corteva signing the Business Statement for Transgender Equality
• Finding there was a Corteva pride group  
  
• My boss’s reaction to finding out one of my children is transgender  

Has any identifying factor impacted your career? Before working here, I worked in an industry where it was accepted that, as a female, I would be exposed to crude behavior. I was sexually harassed, made to adapt or quit, and learned to ‘suck it up’ for more than a decade because I couldn’t take a lower paying job and support my family.

Describe the perception of the agricultural industry today. Assiduous, crucial, dedicated.

For inclusion, what areas is agriculture lagging in most? Where are you seeing progress? Demystifying differences [so they] can be accepted as just as right as your own, leads to better working relationships, productivity, and retention of employees.

How can diversity be better encouraged? As an ally to my transgender child, when we sought a legal name change, it was scary. We wanted the name change to be legal, so applications to college could be in the chosen name. Aside of life or death domestic abuse situations, waiving the publication simply wasn’t heard of in my state. The judge scheduled me to be her last case of the day and then explained the wording of the law meant it was a long shot. The next time we met, she granted the name change and the waiver of publication. She apologized to me on behalf of the community for what we had experienced. It still brings tears to my eyes.

Those who have power need to use it for the good of all.