SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW? THE LGBTQ+ JOURNEY IS ONE OF OPTIMISM AND FRUSTRATION, MOMENTUM AND INERTIA, PROGRESS AND SETBACKS. AS IT DEVELOPS AND EVOLVES, DETRACTORS POINT TO ITS COMPLEXITY AND NUANCE AND THE ROUTE TO RIDICULE AND DISMISSAL IS EASY TO FIND. YET THERE IS ONE UNDENIABLE TRUTH AND THAT IS, EVERYONE DESERVES EQUALITY AND FAILURE TO PROVIDE AN INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE AND PROTECT EMPLOYEES FROM BULLYING AND HARASSMENT IS FIRSTLY ILLEGAL AND CAN LEAD TO DISCRIMINATION CLAIMS, DECREASED MORALE AS WELL AS LOSS OF TALENT AND NOT JUST LGBTQ+ PEOPLE.

BINARY DOESN’T DO NUANCE, THAT’S NOT THE IDEA . BINARY IS ONE OR THE OTHER, SIMPLE, PREDICTABLE AND EASY TO CATEGORISE. YOU ARE EITHER/OR, GAY OR STRAIGHT, MALE OR FEMALE, MAN OR WOMAN. BUT THANKS TO THOSE WILLING TO SHARE THEIR STORIES, WE KNOW MUCH MORE TODAY ABOUT IDENTITY AND THE INTERSECTIONS OF SEX, GENDER AND SEXUALITY, THAT MAKE UP THE LGBTQ+ RAINBOW.

Sex, gender and sexuality have come to be understood as distinct aspects of the self, that can flex and change through life. As much as this new visibility signals progress, where there is nuance there is complexity and where there is complexity, there is potential for exclusion and harm. That is why it is essential for organisational diversity and inclusion to continue to evolve and to promote equality for LGBTQ+ people. A good place to start is actions around a Prevent, Protect, Respond strategy (PPR) – this is aimed at preventing harm to performance, health and wellbeing through good policies – through clear communication of expectations and education. Protecting diversity and its benefits relies upon a range of channels and mechanisms to respond appropriately, effectively and quickly to bullying, harassment and discrimination.

There is no universal measure of inclusion so how should we navigate towards an inclusive culture and who is included? Surveys might enquire how well someone feels they fit in, but how much will the contributors feel that their contribution is welcomed and valued? To really understand what is going on, leaders must ask better questions and listen to the experiences of ‘non majority’ groups. Incivilities and micro-aggressions typically account for many of the exclusionary experiences of LGBTQ+ colleagues. These verbal slights, snubs and insults can be explicit or subtle. A typical example is when trans and non-binary people are ‘deadnamed’ – addressed by their former name – or denied use of their chosen pronouns. They might be avoided by colleagues, side-lined from activities or subject to intrusive questions about their lifestyle, anatomy and their bodies. Whether intentional or unintentional, micro-aggressions communicate hostile, derogatory or negative messages. These may be perceived as small daily occurrences, but their impact is significant, which is why recognising and countering them is important.

Those working in this field for a while, will have reflected that unconscious bias training was not the silver bullet solution that many hoped. Where bias training went wrong was to focus more on the science and less on what individuals could and should be doing, to prevent biased outcomes. Action here demands more than being an active bystander and calling out obvious discrimination, it requires intervening in those subtle interactions that diminish and exclude LGBTQ+ people. The challenge becomes how to help people to notice these everyday exclusions and encourage them to challenge them constructively.

People need insight and well facilitated storytelling sessions are powerful and effective, as colleagues benefit from listening to and asking questions of a willing expert in their own lived experience. A film or speaker series, celebrations and commemorations all help educate about LGBTQ+ journeys, lives and experiences. But when it comes to tools, what people really struggle with is, what to say and do in the moment, when they see or hear something inappropriate or exclusionary. This might mean speaking up in a group situation, or to a colleague or a manager about their language or behaviour. That all feels risky, but it must happen. Every time a joke is made at an LGBTQ+ colleague’s expense, they are mis-named, mis-gendered or simply left out and it is left unchallenged, it is normalised and challenging norms is culture work. Policies set the frame, but everyone must play their part.

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