Be a Better Ally to Your LGBTQ+ Colleagues. Workplace discrimination and exclusion remain significant challenges for many workers who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ+). As a colleague, how can you move past performative allyship and toward the real thing? It requires three simple but powerful steps. - Be accepting. Acceptance is the foundation of authentic allyship. Your language, demeanor, and behaviors need to demonstrate that you accept and validate LGBTQ+ individuals' gender and/or sexual identities.
- Take action. Acceptance is insufficient without actions to back it up. Seek out opportunities to learn more about LGBTQ+ issues, both in your workplace and your broader community. And speak out against anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination, whether it takes the form of interpersonal bias (e.g., a coworker making an offensive comment) or systemic bias (e.g., a workplace dress code that discriminates against gender-queer individuals).
- Have humility. Listen more than you speak, and keep the focus off of yourself in discussions of LGBTQ+ issues. To develop a deeper humility, ask yourself: When issues of diversity and inclusion come up in the workplace, am I truly listening, or am I more interested in managing others' impressions of me?
| | | | Today’s Tip | | Be a Better Ally to Your LGBTQ+ Colleagues | Workplace discrimination and exclusion remain significant challenges for many workers who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ+). As a colleague, how can you move past performative allyship and toward the real thing? It requires three simple but powerful steps.
- Be accepting. Acceptance is the foundation of authentic allyship. Your language, demeanor, and behaviors need to demonstrate that you accept and validate LGBTQ+ individuals' gender and/or sexual identities.
- Take action. Acceptance is insufficient without actions to back it up. Seek out opportunities to learn more about LGBTQ+ issues, both in your workplace and your broader community. And speak out against anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination, whether it takes the form of interpersonal bias (e.g., a coworker making an offensive comment) or systemic bias (e.g., a workplace dress code that discriminates against gender-queer individuals).
- Have humility. Listen more than you speak, and keep the focus off of yourself in discussions of LGBTQ+ issues. To develop a deeper humility, ask yourself: When issues of diversity and inclusion come up in the workplace, am I truly listening, or am I more interested in managing others' impressions of me?
| | This tip is adapted from “Research: How to Be a Better Ally to the LGBTQ+ Community,” by Jacqueline M. Chen and Samantha Joel | | | | | %20(1).png) | | Women at Work Live | | Join Amy Gallo and Amy Bernstein for a half day of live conversations that'll lift you up and move you forward. | | | | | | | | | | | |
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