Cat Keefe-Harris and Rob Smith share their expansive vision, and it's about to get scientific

"It’s important, as leaders in an organization, to make space that’s inclusive, affirming and accepting." In this week's installment of You've Got This, Cat Keefe-Harris and Rob Smith discuss what inspired them to get involved in The Phluid Project, ways to support the LGBTQ+ community, and why Gen-Z is going to be such a driving force for Gender Expansive Education. Don't miss their words below, and get your questions ready for our next guest, physicist, TV host and data scientist Deborah Berebichez Ph.D.

Victoria: "As the 'world’s first gender-free store,' what was the lightbulb moment that inspired you each to get involved with The Phluid Project, and what are some things you've learned along the journey?

Cat: "So I visited the Phluid Project the first year it started, in the first few months. I was visiting New York City, and I saw the world’s first gender-free store opened up, and I’m non-binary, so I had to see what was going on there. I moved to New York shortly thereafter, and realized I wanted to work there, and so I asked what was available, and we went from there!"

Rob: "The lightbulb moment for me was when I was working in corporate America for over 30 years and decided I needed more purpose in my life. Phluid is the creation, the intersection, of my professional career in retail and my passion, which is social justice, especially around the LGBTQ+ youth space. And I didn’t see anybody doing anything like this at all in the world yet, so I jumped in and have never looked back."

Victoria: "You're both very involved in your communities. What are some of the most impactful ways that people can get involved in supporting LGBTQIA+ causes and making a difference?"

Cat: "In terms of giving back to the LGBTQ+ community, right now, especially with what we’re seeing around activism around the intersection of the Black Live Matter movement and Pride, is not just to give back around Pride month, but every month. Whether you’re making donations to organizations that are doing on-the-ground work, or individuals in your life who need assistance. It’s not just about shopping smartly and consciously."

"Educate yourself, participate in social justice, and create change. Do research and do what feels best for you in terms of giving back for sure."

Rob: "I think the one thing I like to remind everyone is that every one of us has a sphere of influence. We all have the ability to influence a million people, or four people. It starts first with education. It’s our responsibility to educate ourselves about under-represented groups, read books and articles, search on Google and YouTube, watch documentaries, etc. In our space, it’s especially important to educate and understand the evolution and movement associated with gender identity and pronouns. It’s important for people to start to understand that Gen Z is unique. They are not this or that, they are this AND that."

"Once you’ve educated and informed yourself on a community, in this case the queer community, start to ask questions, introduce yourself to people in the community, reach out to offer to be an ally."

"Not just being not homophobic or not being not transphobic, but becoming anti-homophobic and anti-transphobic. It’s a more active approach in dealing with bias and prejudice. It’s about your attitude, your words and your actions. Additionally, supporting organizations that are queer-owned and operated, that have leaders in their organization that are queer, queer board of directors. It’s identifying corporations that go beyond marching in a parade. Do they have employee resource groups, are they working to actively recruit, retain and elevate queer folks in their organization. Educate and then activate with your words and your dollar."

Victoria: "What should individuals and organizations know about Gender Expansive Education?"

Cat: "That’s a really tough one! I think what people should know is what Rob mentioned earlier - educate yourself on your pronouns. Everyone has a gender identity and sexual orientation, and some people are more or less privileged depending on what that is, so it’s important to educate yourself on what that is, and then to utilize that privilege to amplify people who don’t have that privilege if you do have it, and to use your voice."

Rob: "I created a presentation called 'The Future of Gender.' And I started speaking to executives at conferences and Fortune 500 companies. It was then that I began to realize that there was a high level of interest from many executives to learn more about this space, in large part because they were influenced by a Gen Z-er in their life. For others, it was a complete and total breakthrough, they and had no idea that there was a difference between sexual orientation and gender identity. Every time I would lead a workshop, people would be so grateful. So we created a job portal for trans, non-binary, and queer folks, to help them find jobs by submitting their resumes. We quickly realized companies weren’t ready for this emerging gender expansive workforce and consumer, so we created “G.E.T. Phluid”, which is a gender-expansive training platform and certification process created by and trained by members of the trans and non-binary community. And it’s important, as leaders in an organization, to make space that’s inclusive, affirming and accepting. We’re constantly in a state of unlearning and relearning.

"As Gen Z comes to the workforce and is very queer - over half identify on the queer spectrum - responsible leaders must understand gender identity, and create space for gender non-conforming, transgender, and non-binary employees is essential."

I encourage your followers to learn more at www.GETPhluid.com. And as of Monday, it’s not just the right thing to do, now it’s the legal thing to do."

Follow Cat and Rob on LinkedIn.

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Next week's guest: Deborah Berebichez, Ph.D.

I'm very excited to share that our next guest on You've Got This is Deborah Berebichez, Ph.D. As the first Mexican woman to graduate with a physics Ph.D. from Stanford University, Dr. Berebichez uses her insights to design data science bootcamps, corporate training, professional development programs and more. Since 2012 she's also co-hosted the show "Outrageous Acts of Science" for the Discovery Channel. With her goals of empowering young people and improving STEM education in the world in mind, here's what I'll be asking Dr. Berebichez:

• Today's remote learning environments have made educational programming and virtual workshops more important now than ever. How do you design curricula and programs with remote learning and learning at scale in mind?
• TV programs like yours have inspired many people over the years to pursue STEM-based careers. How do you suggest parents and guardians inspire the next generation to get involved with science and technology?
• For those looking to learn more about the world of data science, what are some resources you'd recommend?

You're invited to ask your questions for Dr. Berebichez in the comments below, and thank you for reading!