What Freedom Means to Me
To celebrate Pride Day 2025, themed The Fabric of Freedom, we reached out to proud RXers and allies worldwide to tell us what Freedom means to them.
As a proud gay man, freedom means living authentically without reservation, personally and professionally, every day. It's about knowing I can bring that authenticity to all aspects of my life, supported by inclusive environments like the one at RX. It's about embracing who I am, visibly and proudly, knowing this authenticity is valued year-round.
Freedom is the ability to live without fear and be 100% yourself. It means having choices, feeling safe, and being treated with dignity and respect. True freedom includes the right to be accepted and the responsibility to stand up for others, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to thrive. It’s not just about independence—it’s about inclusion, equality, and the power to live openly and fully.
To me, freedom is safety. It’s peace of mind, a world of infinite possibilities unhampered by sexuality, race, or gender. Freedom is the simple yet profound ability to speak openly about my husband—whether among colleagues or strangers—without hesitation. It’s the certainty of traveling to a country, knowing I can share a room without fear or second thoughts.
RX is a beautifully complex tapestry of people and cultures where all our colleagues are free to bring their authentic selves to work and where the things that make us unique are celebrated! During Pride Month, we honor the journeys of our LGBTQ+ colleagues and customers around the world and are proud to provide a warm and safe environment where everyone can flourish.
As a part-time musician, I’ll relinquish my contribution to someone far more qualified to talk about Freedom than me. So much so they wrote two songs about it…“I don’t need your freedom. Girl, all I want right now is you” (Freedom, Wham) and “I don't belong to you, and you don't belong to me” (Freedom! ‘90, George Michael). I think freedom is being able to be whoever you want and actively fighting for others to be whoever they want too.
Being part of a company that celebrates Pride inspires me and reminds me that freedom is not only a right, but also a responsibility: to pave the way so that others can also live with dignity and freedom. For me, freedom means being authentically myself, without fear or judgment. It’s about living and loving with pride, without hiding who I am. In the workplace, it means feeling safe, respected, and valued, without leaving a part of myself at the door. It also means raising my voice, sharing my story, and helping create a space where all identities are welcome.
Freedom is the ability to interact, experiment, learn, and explore the world with curiosity. It’s the courage to try, imagine, and create without limitations. It means allowing ourselves to be, to grow, to change, and even to make mistakes. Freedom is listening to what we truly want and moving toward it—without fear of judgment or imposed boundaries. It’s that inner space that gives us permission to live authentically, to choose our own path, and to become who we really are.
Freedom, for me, means being able to exist fully, love without fear and express my identity with pride. In the LGBT context, it means living with dignity, respect and safety. It means having a voice, space and recognition. Freedom is being who I am, without having to hide or justify myself. It is a right, not a privilege.
Freedom is something that I never take for granted. It means that I am empowered to show up and live my life however I want, however brings me joy. I feel so lucky to be able to bring my full self to whatever spaces I choose to occupy, and to help shape those spaces for others who need them as well.
I feel truly free when I can live the way I want in a society where tradition and diversity exist together. Real freedom is when no one is left out, and everyone feels safe, accepted, and valued for their unique identity. That is the kind of world I hope to see.
To me, freedom means the ability, opportunity and right to choose to identify and live in the way that most makes me, me. Freedom allows me to be openly represented by all the things I identify with, whether that's as a person of colour or a bisexual man or anything else.
When you truly experience Freedom, you may feel alone—not from isolation, but from breaking free of society’s labels. Time and space no longer limit you. Gender or identity no longer define you. You become simply you. In that space, you gain a kind of magic—the power to create, choose, and live freely. At RX Japan, we celebrate that freedom every day.
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