Celebrating Pride with Madison Bush

Madison Bush comes from a family well versed in health care. She came to Legacy seven years ago from a small medical clinic, joining the IT department. With each promotion to her current position as an applications system analyst, she’s loved every team member and the family atmosphere.

“I’ve worked at a lot of places this size and I usually don’t like them because there is no connection,” she said. “I feel connected here.”

That connection extends to Legacy’s Pride Employee Resource Group. Madison recently spoke with us about how colleagues can show their support for Pride, the direction of the employee resource group and where she gets support.

How do you feel about being LGBTQ at Legacy?

I recommend this place to anyone I know who is queer. Everyone I’ve talked to is happy, they’re treated right and that’s been my experience. Not only that, people go out of their way to do and say the right thing or learn.

Do you feel you can be your "true self" right now?

Yes, but not as easily as a few years ago. I think in times like this it’s even more important for queer folks to have the privilege and ability to be loudly true to themselves. I might be a queer trans woman, but I’ve also got a stable life with a lot of supportive people around me. There are a lot of other people in the queer community who don’t have those privileges and I feel it’s necessary to be loud for those of us who can.

This is the oldest ERG at Legacy. What direction would you like to see the ERG take in the future?

I think it’s going great. Josh Swan (co-chair of the Pride ERG) has been an awesome leader. I signed on as co-lead of the education and advocacy committee last year and I’m looking at ways to get more education out there, to do more work with the public and with Legacy staff where needed.

What does your Pride ERG membership represent/mean to you?

That I work at a place that values diverse identities. It represents Legacy’s commitment to a diverse and excellent workforce and supporting those folks who might need a bit of help.

Legacy’s theme for Pride is “Pride is Now and Forever.” What does that mean to you?

That we can never stop being proud of who we are. The minute they force us to hide again, go back into the closet, is the moment we start to decline, and we can’t let that happen. We need to be proud loudly, especially now.

What can your Legacy colleagues do to show their support for Pride?

I love seeing people who use their pronouns in Teams and email and the backgrounds. That shows people are actively and visibly showing support. Also, I’m in training right now and the trainer misgendered me once. A colleague asked if I wanted them to correct the trainer. I said no, the person did it themselves. But it was nice to have someone offer to check in and say something.

Where do you go in your community to draw strength or solace?

I’m pretty involved in the music community in town and a big part of that circle is queer.