5 Tips To Make Your Workplace More LGBTQ+ Friendly

When it comes to LGBTQ+ discrimination in the American workplace, sadly, a lot has been allowed for a long time. Up until the Supreme Court of the United States ruled a landmark decision this past June, it was 100% legal for employers to fire their employees solely for being LGBTQ+ in most states in the U.S.

Right now, there is a lot of drama concerning SCOTUS. Will President Trump confirm the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s replacement? Will this confirmation process happen before the rapidly approaching November election or hold off until January 2021? Could these court controversies ultimately lead to reversing rights for LGBTQ+ Americans--including our recently won workplace protections?

Here are five tips to help executives, hiring managers, and employees of every level make their workplaces more LGBTQ+ friendly:

1. Encourage employees to attend workshops and trainings to improve LGBTQ+ cultural competencies.

It’s difficult to create an effectively affirming office (or virtual) culture for LGBTQ+ folks if managers don’t know anything about the community itself. And no, the fact that Linda from HR has a gay nephew is not enough to claim a queer-friendly workplace.

Consider looking into trainings that teach workplace leaders, human resources staff, and all levels of staff about the LGBTQ+ community. For example, Out & Equal offers a variety of workshops, educational classes, and resources to create more inclusive environments for current and prospective LGBTQ+ workers. One training that I completed (and cannot recommend enough!) is the Transgender Ally/Advocate Training Camp, offered by the Transgender Training Institute. While this training provides participants with an overview of the LGBTQ+ community, it focuses specifically on increasing people’s knowledge related to transgender and nonbinary communities. The training also equips people with tools and skills to serve as better allies and advocates--in both professional and personal settings.

It’s important to note that the LGBTQ+ community is not monolithic. Just like with cishet folks (people who are cisgender and heterosexual), queer people are incredibly diverse. And so are their lived experiences. Therefore, it’s really important to look into trainings and workshops that take an intersectional approach to their work and address experiences of LGBTQ+ Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) and the queer folks that live at the intersections of these identities and beyond. It is 2020. Our understanding of the LGBTQ+ community needs to dig deeper than the depictions of white gay men we saw while watching Will & Grace.

2. Encourage folks to include personal pronouns in their work email signatures.

Adding pronouns to your email signature is a small but potentially significant action folks in the workplace can take toward advancing LGBTQ+ inclusion. Why does this matter? As GLSEN, a leading LGBTQ+ education nonprofit states, “You may have noticed that people are sharing their pronouns in introductions, on name tags, and at the beginning of meetings. This gives everyone in the room the opportunity to self identify instead of assuming someone’s identity or which pronouns they use. Including pronouns is a first step toward respecting people’s identity and creating a more welcoming space for people of all genders.”

Some folks simply are not comfortable including pronouns in their email signature. And that is something that should 100% be respected. But for those of us who are comfortable doing so, let’s go ahead and start using our pronouns more often in our emails and introductions. Doing so can send a message that simply and quickly says, “I care how people self identify.” Bonus points: Consider adding your pronouns next to your name on Zoom!

3. Plan or participate in an annual Pride Month event.

Every June in the United States, we observe Pride Month to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, the progress we’ve won, and acknowledge the work we still have left to do.

To be frank, a lot of companies have received flack for providing “lip service” during Pride Month while actually doing nothing substantial for their LGBTQ+ employees or the community at large. Don’t be one of those companies that adds a rainbow to their logo each June, calls it a day, and pats themselves on the back for a job well done.

Instead, consider how you can observe Pride month in a way that meaningfully adds to the LGBTQ+ inclusive workplace you’re working to foster year round. For example, consider hosting a workplace fundraising event that raises money for your local LGBTQ+ community center. Organize a volunteer event at that community center. Sponsor or support community Pride activities, led by LGBTQ+ folks, that are already happening and encourage staff to attend. Work to make an impactful Pride Month event an expected (and exciting!) annual tradition--in the same way you likely already do for the annual company holiday party.

4. Reassess your company’s policies, practices, and benefits

When it comes to creating an LGBTQ+ inclusive workplace, it is imperative to have policies that clearly include queer folks and offer them the same protections and benefits afforded to cisgender, heterosexual employees. Luckily, the Human Rights Campaign releases the Corporate Equality Index on an annual basis. This report compiles information from over 1,000 companies and serves as a national benchmark to measure LGBTQ+ workplace policies, practices, and benefits.

The Corporate Equality Index is comprised of three key pillars

1. Non-discrimination policies across business entities;

2. Equitable benefits for LGBTQ workers and their families;

3. Supporting an inclusive culture and corporate social responsibility.

Learn more about the HRC’s findings for 2020 and see how your company stacks up.

5. Hire LGBTQ+ people

Last, but certainly not least: take the seemingly obvious, but often overlooked step of (gasp!) hiring LGBTQ+ people at your company. The best way to create an LGBTQ+ friendly workplace is to listen to the LGBTQ+ employees who work within it.