“Pride to me is going to work every day, not having to hide my life,” says Avery Vinter, Sales and Events Planner at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV). “Pride is freedom.”
This Pride Month, a time where we celebrate our LGBTQ+ people and recognise Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Belonging, we shine a spotlight on Avery Vinter (she/they), trans woman, Pride Ambassador at Compass Group Australia and proud member of the LGBTQ+ community.
Avery’s journey with Compass Group started in early 2022, when she joined the Restaurant Associates team at Old Parliament House as Food and Beverage Supervisor. She came out 6 months later as transgender and hasn’t looked back since. She describes it as “one of the scariest things [she] has ever done” but feels incredibly grateful that she was surrounded by people who made her feel safe and supported.
“Coming out as trans was, of course, life-changing for me, but in the most positive way. It gave me the freedom to be more engaged in my work, freedom to dress in ways I feel comfortable in, and just freedom to be myself.”
Avery is part of Pride in Compass, our working group that supports various projects to support our LGBTQ+ community and is excited to be working on a Gender Transition/Affirmation Toolkit, a resource offered to Compass Group leaders and team members to educate on how to support and uplift team members taking steps to align with their gender identity and hopefully, facilitate more queer visibility.
Having been involved in queer activism and advocacy for close to a decade, Avery knows the impact that visibility can have in the workplace, during Pride Month and beyond. “Visibility is important. However, you don’t know what is going on in the lives of those around you. It’s often the people who aren’t out, who need Pride the most.”
“My advice for allies is to take actions, make gestures, even little ones like putting a Pride flag up in the office. Actions, big or small, send a clear message of support to all around you and have more significance than you know.”
Find out more about how Compass Group supports Pride here.
Read more about our People here.
