June is National Pride Month in the United States, and I wanted to take this opportunity to share some of my experiences facilitating Safe Zone Classes.
My co-facilitator and I recently wrapped up five online Safe Zone LGBTQ+ classes for a nationwide organization. We offered the classes on various days and times to maximize attendance and we were thrilled to have over 200 unique employees from across the US participate.
Every time I teach a Safe Zone class, I learn something new. This topic is especially timely and important, so I wanted to share some key takeaways with you.
A Growing LGBTQ+ Community
Did you know 20% or one in five Gen Zs identify as LGBTQ+? It’s likely this number will continue to grow with Gen Alpha where the oldest is 13 and not yet in the workplace. People in organizations will need to think ahead and start planning to become more inclusive at work in the future to attract new employees.
Words matter!
Always introduce yourself with your pronouns (e.g., she/her, he/him, they/them) and encourage others to do the same. It is easy on a Zoom or Teams call to add pronouns to your name on the video. But, in person, a great tip is to introduce yourself first and use your pronouns. That way you don’t make others feel uncomfortable and you know the other person’s pronouns.
Choosing inclusive language can make a big difference in creating a welcoming environment. In the training, we role play by choosing words that were used years ago and now have become outdated. For example, stewardess, ladies and gentlemen, and homosexual. Then we asked the group what words we should use. The answer is flight attendant, folks or honored guests, and gay or lesbian. We do this so that everyone in the organization feels included and not offended. Sometimes, you don’t know, you don’t know so, I suggest if you are not sure about which terms are appropriate take a Safe Zone training or do some research.
We also had a very fun game of Kahoot vocabulary and learned that the word “Queer” used to be a slur to the LGBTQ+ community, but has been reclaimed by the LGBTQ+ community. Queer is now an umbrella term used by some LGBTQ+ people to describe themselves and/or their community. It is also considered by some to be inclusive of the entire community and by others to describe their more fluid identities.
Creating Inclusive Workspaces
While the goal is to create inclusive environments for all employees, Safe Zones and LGBTQ+ topics can still be controversial in the US. We had people from all over the country, and this topic could get political. My co-facilitator and I stuck to the facts and kept politics out of the training, however, we did get some feedback on the surveys about state politics. It is important to realize that different states have different laws regarding this topic. We based our training on inclusivity and respect in the workplace.
We created scenarios for small groups to decide the outcome. It was great to hear how inclusive and caring the participants answered the questions. In one scenario, Joe was making homophobic comments to Kai, and you overheard them. One group answered by saying that Joe may not have even understood that certain words could be offensive. They gave each person the benefit of the doubt and treated both people with kindness in their comments as they educated and communicated. It was an honor to listen to our participants be generous and kind with their answers and comments.
Coming Out is a Journey
It’s important to remember that “coming out” is an ongoing process, not a one-time event. For most people coming out is a series of decisions (sometimes daily) that LGBTQ+ people navigate in every new setting they enter and with different groups of people. For example, a gay man may come out to his friends, parents, and co-workers but not to his church community or a certain aunt. Remember, it is a sign of huge trust that this person is sharing with you, and it is only one dimension of their life/self.
This is just a glimpse into what I’ve learned facilitating Safe Zone Classes. Stay tuned for future posts where I’ll delve deeper into these points and share additional resources!
Please share your experiences with creating inclusive workplaces or using inclusive language.
Happy Pride Month!
#pridemonth #safezone #leadership #traininganddevelopment
