by Annie Davidson
June 14, 2023
June is Pride Month – a time to celebrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual plus (LGBTQIA+) community and its history, culture, and rights. Pride Month can be a cue to evaluate how well your organization fosters an inclusive culture and supports its LGBTQIA+ members and employees.
While society has made strides in terms of LGBTQIA+ acceptance, there are still many hurdles to overcome, as evidenced by current statistics. According to recent surveys, half of LGBTQIA+ adults experienced unfair treatment, workplace discrimination, or harassment in the last year because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or intersex status1, 3. Twenty percent of LGBTIQIA+ individuals also reported being told to dress in a more feminine or masculine manner2, while many others reported feeling exhaustion from energy spent concealing their sexual orientation (17%) and gender identity (13%)3.
To support the LGBTQIA+ community, here are five actions your association can consider to ensure your organization is a welcoming place for LGBTQIA+ members and employees:
Share resources with membership
The Human Rights Campaign offers a variety of resources specific to the workplace. This is also the perfect time to share statistics about LGBTQIA+ individuals in your industry to express the need to support and mentor underrepresented groups.
Consistently ask for pronouns
Whether on your next webinar, at a board meeting, or in registration for your next conference, prioritize pronoun use. Showing pronouns on name badges or other identification will also help everyone in attendance support their LGBTQIA+ colleagues.
Include all genders
Does your membership or registration form only have a male and female option for gender? What about honorifics – is there a gender-neutral option? Do your research to ensure no one is left out and be sure to include a “prefer not to respond” option for those who would rather not share.
Seek out venues with gender-neutral restrooms
Does your event space include an option for nonbinary individuals, and did you clearly communicate where they can find it? If not, consider speaking to your facility to see if an existing restroom could be temporarily converted for this purpose.
Choose inclusive locations
Your LGBTQIA+ members may be hesitant to spend their travel funds in a state that just banned drag performance or gender-affirming care. The Human Rights Campaign has a handy state scorecard tool to help you determine inclusive locations to plan your future events. This can be an important decision for any organization, and we highly recommend your board of directors have an open dialogue to understand the pros, cons, risks, and impact of choosing or moving event locations.
We can all play a part in welcoming LGBTQIA+ individuals into our associations and industries. Pride Month is an excellent time to implement these inclusive tips into your organization’s diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy, and will benefit members and employees year-round.
1 Medina, C. and Mahowald, L. (2023, Jan. 12). Discrimination and Barriers to Well-Being: The State of the LGBTQI+ Community in 2022. Center for American Progress. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/discrimination-and-barriers-to-well-being-the-state-of-the-lgbtqi-community-in-2022/
2 HRC Foundation. (2018, June 25). A Workplace Divided: Understanding the Climate for LGBTQ Workers Nationwide. Human Rights Campaign. https://www.hrc.org/resources/a-workplace-divided-understanding-the-climate-for-lgbtq-workers-nationwide
3 Kolmar, C. (2022, Oct. 17). 75+ Must-Know LGBTQ+ Workplace Discrimination Statistics (2023): Rates and Trends. Zippia. https://www.zippia.com/advice/lgbt-workplace-discrimination-statistics/
Annie Davidson is in Corporate Marketing at Smithbucklin.