How to Make Your LGBTQ+ Employees Feel Welcome at Work
LGBT Pride Month commemorates the Stonewall riots, which occurred at the end of June 1969, and ETHIX360 celebrates the rights gained in the 53 years since. We’ve seen progress across the board, from the workplace to the classroom, from the right to marry the one you love to having equal access to workplace benefits. Pride is now more broadly viewed as a celebration of the rights of marginalized groups, such as the current discussions on transgender rights related to sports, but let’s not forget the roots of the movement.
THE ORIGINS OF PRIDE
The Stonewall Riots, also called the Stonewall Uprising, began in the early hours of June 28, 1969, when New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club located in Greenwich Village in New York City. The raid sparked a riot among bar patrons and neighborhood residents as police roughly hauled employees and patrons out of the bar, leading to six days of protests and violent clashes with law enforcement outside the bar on Christopher Street, in neighboring streets, and in nearby Christopher Park. The Stonewall Riots served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world.
Like many advancements in civil rights, this was a process that started with a spark and led to a movement still celebrated. The result of the movement has been to make efforts to improve all aspects of life for all marginalized people.
Tolerance vs. Acceptance
To bring the timeless topic of LGBT rights into the present day, I thought we should focus this week’s blog on DEI in the workplace. As employers, we have a moral obligation to demonstrate inclusivity in our companies, acceptance of employees, and not to practice discrimination. But it’s not just a moral obligation, it’s a legal one as well.
When it comes to inclusion of gender identities, the law is less well defined and more fluid. This is especially true considering the current composition of the Supreme Court and recent decisions conflating gender bias with religious freedom.
There is a difference in tolerance versus acceptance. That’s really the point of DEI training and awareness programs. Tolerance is knowing the law and begrudgingly following it because it is the law. Acceptance is following the law as well, but also understanding that gender is not binary, and not all relationships are traditional. Acceptance is about not being judgmental.
There is a multi-faceted approach to moving your workforce past tolerance and towards acceptance. It includes having the right policies in place to clearly define your organization’s expected behavior, the right training in place to make sure your workforce understands the policies, and the right communication tools in place so that when a line is crossed, your employees have a safe, anonymous way to let you know so that you can investigate and resolve the conflict. Most importantly, achieving acceptance requires leadership that walks the walk and talks the talk.
Let’s celebrate PRIDE month together and appreciate the advances that society has made regarding the acceptance of LGBTQ+ issues. But let’s not move past the fact that the rights must be protected. The changed attitudes must not revert. Make sure your organization is doing its part to be clear about support and acceptance, insists on employees being respectful, and has the tools in place to help employees when inequities come to light.
The ETHIX360 blog brings you weekly updates on all things human resources and compliance.
MEET THE AUTHOR
J Rollins is the co-founder and CEO of ETHIX360. J is a well known leader and innovator who has served on senior leadership teams ranging in responsibility from Chief Revenue Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, SVP of Product Strategy and Chief Operating Officer.
ABOUT ETHIX360
At ETHIX360, our goal is simple: to provide an affordable, flexible, and comprehensive answer to employee communication, policy management, corporate training and case management on issues related to corporate ethics, code of conduct, fraud, bribery, and workplace violence.
