To support LGBTQ+ community the whole year
June has arrived and the rainbow begins to take over our feeds on social networks: LGBTQ+ Pride Month is an important time of the year to reflect on the achievements of the community and also to discuss and clarify the challenges that we need to address to move forward in the fight against LGBTQ+phobia. This year, the month begins with the urgent theme of the anti-racist positioning and, here, I remember Stonewall and the role of black lesbians, trans people and drag queens who played a leading role in this history and the reason why we celebrate LGBTQ+ pride in June.
Writing about LGBTQ+ Pride is to highlight the complexity of a historical web that mixes sociology, politics, economics, human rights and many other pillars of social construction. In this broad discussion scenario, it is also talking about the individualities and, here, I put myself in the position of a white cis gay man who reflects on all these themes based on a unique and polarized experience — other perspectives are fundamental for this dialogue.
Today, the invitation is to think about how we can all contribute to the challenges we need to address in society (and in the workspace, and vice versa) in favor of a more egalitarian and respectful world. I share five main themes, but there are countless ways to act as an agent of transformation.
1. Seek knowledge:
information is one of the main ways to fight against prejudice and, here, it is important to be proactive in seeking and including texts, books, series, podcasts, films and other content on the LGBTQ+ theme in your routine, with authors and/or main characters who experience this. How about starting this journey through your network of LGBTQ+ friends/coworkers/family? Dialogue, practice active listening and learn about their experiences.
2. Diversity:
anyone who understands the LGBTQ+ community as a single group that carries a single flag is mistaken. Each letter of this community has its own demands and agenda, all with equal value and importance. Here two concepts are important: visibility and intersectionality. When I talk about giving visibility, I mean the “letters” that are not widely discussed or highlighted (even within the community): have you discussed bisexual experiences and agenda? Do you have contact on your social circle or have you reflected on the demands of the trans community? It is important to remember that the LGBTQ+ community is not just gay, white and cis.
And, here, I bring the topic intersectionality, a theoretical tool created to think about the inseparability of racism, capitalism and patriarchy and how this structure generates vulnerability. In practice: the experience of a white gay cis man is completely different from a black gay cis man, who is completely different from a black gay trans man and a straight black trans woman. Evolving our awareness of this multiplicity of experiences is essential to clarify which agendas we support, how we can make a difference in our surroundings and how we need to hear and give voice to this diversity.
3. Empathy
this concept has multiple understandings that embrace compassion, respect, love, humanity. “Putting yourself in someone’s shoes” in the context of the LGBTQ+ community means understand the individualities, the background, the history and the process of building each person’s affective and sexual identity: each one has their time to “come out of the closet”, to “stand up for” and to support the cause. And, sometimes, the community needs to welcome and support people in this process. And, just as members of the LGBTQ + community have different timings and understandings about their identity, this complexity also extends to family, friends, co-workers — each person has a historical burden that impacts, positively or negatively, on their position on the topic. Cultivating empathy and respecting each other’s time is essential, we are here to support and not to “get people out of the closet”.
4. Allies
the message here is straightforward — everyone can support the LGBTQ+ community’s agendas. Parents, siblings, friends, co-workers: everyone can (and should!) participate in this movement of build more equal spaces for everyone. How? Give voice, space, jobs, visibility. Humanize the topic, seek knowledge, be open to diversity and be empathetic with others. A message of support and an incentive can resonate and inspire others.
5. Embrace the transformation:
June is Pride Month but the life and struggle of the people who make up this community happens all year round. Embrace your transformative power daily: support, welcome, listen, discuss, reflect, act! Transform the desire to make a difference into actions, starting with your surroundings and expanding. If you need a hug, that’s fine too! You don’t have to be strong all the time, try to create a support network and count on us! Here at Dafiti Group we have the DFT Pride, an affinity group that seeks to promote an inclusive workspace so that all LGBTQ+ employees feel safe to develop their full potential, reinforcing cultural aspects through education, awareness and engagement of their stakeholders. Let’s go together!
The global scenario seems to recede in the achievements and rights of minority groups, generating a constant concern that impacts on the physical and mental health of the LGBTQ+ community, so the time to act is now. We need to take a stand against LGBTphobia and any other type of prejudice and discrimination. We are the ones who make the future we want.