Moving Beyond Performative Allyship (Part 2)
How Businesses Can Be Allies to the LGBTQ+ Community Year-Round
In my last post, I introduced the concepts of Diversity, Equity, Justice, & Inclusion (DEJI). By starting there, you can look more internally at your organization’s approaches. Here are some additional tips on how to move beyond the rainbow flags as your sole symbol of support.
Here are some steps for businesses to become true allies to historically marginalized people and communities. While I speak personally from the LGBTQ+ perspective, allyship would show up through your support and advocacy with and for all people from marginalized groups such as people of color and people with disabilities.
Be Public about Your Allyship
Make your position against homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia known. Stand up for LGBTQ+ rights and racial justice and push for change from governments and other organizations.Take a stance against anti-Trans and anti-LGBTQ+ bills that are proposed daily by government officials.
If you are planning to do a Pride campaign, don’t shy away from running the same campaign in countries with fewer rights for LGBTQ+ out of fear of losing customers. This can be really impactful and actually show your Queer customers and employees that you are truly fostering a safe space for them and helping create a shift in mindset and behaviors.
Many companies worry about alienating potential customers or clients by being open about their values. But as our blog contributor, Kealan, wrote in her latest blog post, social responsibility is becoming more and more essential to brands where they actually see benefits to their bottom line and especially to their retention of employees. Simply put: it pays to do the right thing and to promote it.
Provide Educational Opportunities and Compensate Collaborators
As a part of DEJI efforts, companies often bring in external facilitators and collaborators who can speak or talk to the topic from a personal standpoint. In so many of these cases, collaborators are asked to speak for free or are offered “exposure” for their work. However, these are experts in their work and field and they should be compensated equitably.
These types of collaborations are incredibly valuable to increase empathy and erase misconceptions about the LGBTQ+ community as well as to create a culture of acceptance and trust for your LGBTQ+ employees. These panels provide an important understanding of day-to-day challenges, from disclosing their gender identities to colleagues, to navigating the healthcare systems, to all the little things in life. And in the end, this educational programming can help create an environment where colleagues will feel open to be their true selves.
But also remember, by employing outside collaborators to educate others, you are asking them to use their personal experience and sometimes trauma to create new campaigns, speak at panels, and write content. All this work should be justly compensated. Don’t forget that LGBTQ+ voices are usually underrepresented and underpaid. Make sure to set a budget that will allow you to pay them appropriate rates and not exploit their work.
This goes for both bringing in outside voices and employees from your organization. If you are asking them to serve on a panel when it is outside their typical job duties, you should compensate them for that additional time.
Put Your Money Behind Your Rainbow Posts
Creating a limited edition rainbow product/merchandise and making a profit out of it is not what allyship is about. If you really want to sell a limited edition rainbow product, make sure that LGBTQ+ causes are the ones who benefit from it.
Don’t just give a small percentage of proceedings to LGBTQ+ causes, make sure they actually get the majority of the sales (if not all of them.) The rainbow product line should raise awareness and empathy and not profit from others' struggles.
Amplify the Work of LGBTQ+ People
It’s important to make your stance known not only to show your support, but also to amplify the amazing work that’s happening. Help LGBTQ+ voices raise awareness. One of my favorite campaigns is from Sephora, ‘We Belong To Something Beautiful,’designed to amplify Trans and Non-Binary people by challenging beauty stereotypes and bringing Transgender models to the forefront of the industry. The impact of such a beauty campaign is hugely validating to LGBTQ+ customers by showing acceptance and belonging within an industry that has always been specific to predetermined standards.
Continue the work through the year by continuously employing and promoting LGBTQ+ content. For example, MAC cosmetics is extremely good at this. Since the launch of VIVA GLAM 27 years ago, the company has donated millions of dollars to support women and girls, the LGBTQ+ community, and people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. The all-year-round lipstick line donates 100% of the selling price to local organizations that empower women, support the LGBTQ+ community and help fighting against HIV/AIDS.
Focus on Intersectionality
Around all of this, intersectionality is incredibly important. The Center for Intersectional Justice defines “intersectionality” as “The concept of intersectionality describes the ways in which systems of inequality based on gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, class and other forms of discrimination ‘intersect’ to create unique dynamics and effects.”
As such, our community is a rainbow and we should make sure all voices are represented, especially when those most in need of support and uplifting are the most marginalized within our group like Black Trans women. LGBTQ+ representation has gotten better during the years, but it has often been limited to the stereotypical White gay man. So make sure to give everyone a voice, there is more than one way to be part of the Queer community and your advocacy should reflect that.
The Small Details Are Important
Small details are as important as the big campaigns and core changes to your DEJI. For example you should use gender neutral language when writing or speaking or as a part of company policy (e.g., replace “ladies and gentleman” with “friends” or “gentlefolk”). Out & Equal has this great resource on gender neutral language and other ways to be an ally in the workplace. You can also include pronouns to email signatures, video calls, and use them when introducing yourself to others. Something as small as sharing pronouns, for example, can go a long way to make Transgender, Non-Binary, and gender nonconforming people feel welcome, accepted, and validated. Check out this Stonewall article for some practical tips and to read more on why sharing pronouns is important.
It’s important, though, not to ask insensitive questions, like: “So are you a boy or a girl?” or “have you had the surgery?” and keep on learning and educating yourself. You and your company will inevitably make mistakes as you grow and learn. That’s understandable, but it’s important to be honest and open about those mistakes, apologize, change, and move on. This models that behavior to all employees.
And, of course, encourage and model behaviors to speak up and speak out when you hear someone saying something wrong or hurtful. Remember that to do so, you don’t necessarily need to shame people who make mistakes but you can do so by also ‘ calling in’ by ‘inviting people in, instead of pushing them out’ as Loretta J. Ross points out in her Ted Talk : ‘Don’t Call People Out’
Support LGBTQ+ People and Causes Year Round
Above all, it’s important to support LGBTQ+ causes year-round, not just in June. Our progress is always challenged and even rights that seemed secure are now in a very fragile state. We need our allies to fight with us every day. Continue your learning and continue speaking out.
Allyship is constantly evolving and you will make mistakes; the important thing is to learn from them and strive to do better. Continue the work and push for change at all levels. Persevere in your efforts even when nothing seems to be changing much.
If you do not know where to start, here are some useful resources: