In racing, the absolute tactical sweet spot is to do things that other teams don’t think about. Sometimes that means finding a clever way to warm up the tires or tinkering a diffuser so it’s just within the rules but gives you a speed advantage over your competitors. However, sometimes it’s a very different approach.
A lot of the art of racing is being brave enough to do things – on or off the track. Socially, the machismo-driven one The world of motorsport may seem deeply conservative or even completely at odds with the 21st century, but things have changed. From Aston Martin’s F1 team, who sported the Racing Pride logo at the French Grand Prix, to Sarah Moore, who a few days ago became the first openly LGBTQ + person to stand on the podium during an F1 weekend, there was a lot more visibility in the paddock.
In Formula E, Rokit Venturi Racing has given its car the Pride flag for the Puebla Eprix. Driver Edoardo Mortara made it onto the podium twice there – once on the top step – but Venturi’s Head of Partnerships, Chloe Bearman, also made headlines by writing a heartfelt article for the team’s blog on why this was and what it meant to her personally as a gay woman.
As one of a handful of motorsport journalists myself, it was a privilege for me to speak to Bearman about why she decided to do this now, and what it had changed. She started by telling me the response to her first Pride story has been overwhelmingly positive.
“To be honest, the flood of support and the messages I got got me pretty emotional because when I did [Venturi’s head of communications Liz Brooks] At first I suggested it, I was great, but I was also nervous, “said Bearman.
“I’ve been in motorsport for a long time and have never seen any kind of representation of my community,” she said. “Now we’re seeing more, especially in Formula 1, but in my early days I didn’t see any kind of representation. When I was given the opportunity to speak, I thought, ‘OK, let’s do this.’ I had a strong sense of responsibility for using the platform the team has to do good. “
“It’s pretty scary to show yourself out there,” she added. “But then I got so many messages from people I know and from people I don’t know who just came up to me and said ‘thank you’ … amazing. It was just crazy to think that it could have such an effect, but it’s also a reminder of why it was so important to be open that way. “
Bearman’s role on the team makes her an especially interesting person to talk to about LGBTQ + in motorsport. As Head of Partnership Activations, she looks after sponsors in myriad ways, from making sure their logos are in the right places on the cars, to connecting them happily and well with the team, to making sure they renew their contracts and everyone make the most of their association with Venturi.
What supposedly stood in the way all these years and kept people in motorsport from coming out was always “the sponsors”. You can’t have an openly gay driver because the sponsors would go. You can’t talk about LGBTQ + people in a team, because what would the sponsors think?
It’s a shortcut for making one’s identity controversial when it shouldn’t be; Translated, it’s like hearing “Oh, you can’t shock your grandma like that” when you want to take your own partner home with you on vacation.
And yet there is an additional element of hypocrisy at work in the world of top-class motorsport sponsorship. These are large, international companies; in many cases the same ones that sponsor corporate-friendly floats at Pride marches. Needless to say, none of Venturi’s sponsors have questioned the Bearman and Pride team’s big hug. on the contrary, because they were totally in favor and even got a lot more eyes on their logo.
“Perhaps in the past LGBTQ + people have felt uncomfortable getting out in sports settings,” Bearman said. “The very first guy from the NFL came out gay. It’s just not statistically possible that he’s the first [NFL player] to be gay. But when you go against the current and say, ‘Oh, but I’m actually gay,’ I find it a very old-fashioned and outdated mentality to believe that the sponsors and partners don’t support you. “
“We have the best partners on board,” she added. “Hewlett Packard Enterprise, for example, activated so much during Pride Month and they know that diversity has strength and creativity. And most brands see it now and celebrate it – I can’t imagine any brand these days sponsoring drivers or a team would be completely against celebrating Pride. “
Unfortunately, that can happen. In the USA, Ryan Hunter-Reay from Andretti Autosport was the only racing driver in the IndyCar field with some kind of LGBTQ + representation through his DHL sponsorship. Even then, the move was criticized by some IndyCar fans online and on social media, which led Racer.com to switch off comments on its article. This, of course, is where my job comes in by not only calling out companies or people who are threatening to have their stickers removed from a car, but also systems like F1’s We Race As One, which used an incongruous logo last year that didn’t very common.
Bearman said it had to be a lot more than a sticker on Venturi’s car. “It fits in very well with our core values as a team, but we also wanted to do something more than just label our car. We wanted to use this as an opportunity to open up our team to the fans and to present our diversity and hopefully make others aware that inclusivity is possible in motorsport. We have seen many brands that have just changed their logo for Pride Month, but what are they doing to actively and authentically promote and support this community? ”
Bearman said that before speaking about her experience this month, she avoided a lot of prejudice. “I’m from a privileged place as a lot of people don’t know I’m gay unless I tell them, so I had that choice,” she said. “I’ve been working in motorsport for 10 years.” now and I haven’t experienced any prejudice, but that’s probably because the majority of people didn’t know I was gay. “
She said this has led to its own uncomfortable situations over the years that none of us need like to find explanations for not being heterosexual. Fortunately, the Formula E paddock is at least more inviting. In keeping with its environmental message, the series was overall more open, diverse and progressive than other motor sports.
“We’re the most gender-rich team in the paddock,” Bearman said of Venturi, which is more than 30 percent female. “We have created a culture in which we actively support and promote diversity. So my experience since joining the team has been great. I’ve always felt supported and never experienced any negativity. “
“But that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist, it does exist, and that’s why initiatives like Racing Pride are so important because there are people in this community who have told stories that made them feel uncomfortable, discriminated against and not welcome to have. What they are doing now, and what the team has done, is to actively say you are welcome. Diversity is welcome and celebrated: This sport is not for one type of person. “
A study published earlier this month of Pride showed that children benefited from an environment in which positive messages were regularly shown about LGBTQ + people, whether or not those children were LGBTQ +. A more inclusive environment can help everyone to have more freedom to be themselves and to reduce fears. That can be true anywhere, especially in a world where people dream of being part of it, like motorsport.
Bearman said she was moved by the support she received to speak openly about being LGBTQ +. “My experience, especially in the last week; The number of messages I’ve received and the surge of support, it’s been amazing. I would say [to anyone LGBT who wants to work in motorsport] that you are welcome and not think that you will not be accepted – your gender, race, religion, sexuality should not affect your ability to do your job. “
She wanted to make it clear that the decision to talk about oneself is left to the individual, but to make it so that people can be something that everyone can make a difference.
“It’s so personal, but it’s up to the wider community to support the individual,” Bearman explained. “There are a lot of studies that show that people only need one supportive adult in their life who makes them feel like they have enough support to get out. When everyone can support each other, a more inclusive and productive work environment is created. Since the problem is not with the LGBTQ + community, it is not a problem that I am a gay woman – the problem is broader social discrimination and bias. “
The next Formula E race is the New York Eprix from July 10th to 11th in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
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