Building LGBT Inclusivity into your Organization
As every store develops a corner of rainbow-themed items, and Google showers us in confetti, it’s easy to remember that Pride Month is in full effect. With marriage equality achieved at the national level, I sometimes hear, “What’s the point of Pride?”
While so much has been achieved for LGBT+ rights in the last few decades. There’s just so far to go. As a bisexual person and a mother to trans and gay teens, I see every day that while our society has grown willing to accept LGBT+ individuals, it simply isn’t built for acceptance yet.
Being tolerant and welcoming is distinct and different. So, let’s take a moment to explore what it means to create an organizational culture of WELCOME. This means welcoming as a staff team and to your service population, and that’s a big deal!
Representation: A study of LGBT baby boomers showed that they felt most safe in a medical practice where the staff was representative of their community.
Inclusive Language: It may take some thoughtful revision and careful consideration at first, but is it really that hard to ask about a “spouse or partner” rather than a “husband or wife”? Would it be terribly hard to avoid asking kids to bring things home to “mom and dad”? (Spoiler alert! It’s not that hard! We just have to do it!)
Give Space to Listen, then Listen: River Butcher tells an amazing joke about being asked by well-meaning progressives about their pronouns within a first meeting and then having it announced, “She uses they/them pronouns!!!” That’s real. Let’s make space for something a little better instead, shall we? What if--hear me out here!--what if we found an appropriate way to ask applicants/patients/clients/team members/community members about their pronouns or family style or preferences, and then we held those truths as sacred? I know we can!
Once upon a time, approximately 1,000 years ago, when I was in my twenties, I held an educational luncheon for Somali mothers during the first week of Ramadan. As I stared at my empty invite list, I couldn’t figure out what I had missed. Here’s what I had missed: My clients are human beings with families, holidays, beliefs, obligations, and narratives completely outside myself. If I had something meaningful to say, I first had to listen. We first have to listen and make space for true inclusion. A Friere said in the Pedagogy of the Oppressed, “One cannot expect positive results from an educational or political action program which fails to respect the particular view of the world held by the people.”
Does your healthcare office make space for the family style of your clients? For their gender expression? For the people they love most? Does your school use inclusive language for a child’s guardians or parents? How about your nonprofit? Does it include or exclude in its practices?
Examine your forms. Are they upholding heteronormativity? To what end? How can they be translated to express your intention of true welcome?
Check out your office decor. Are the “happy families” in your posters representative of your broader community?
Chat with your instructors or case managers. How are they accommodating differences in their work?
This doesn’t happen by accident. But it can happen thoughtfully and intentionally without any genuine hardship or grief. Do it! What are you waiting for?
