Celebrating the Pride Month @ Springer Nature

Pride month is all about acceptance, respect, equity, and raising awareness on issues faced by the LGBTQIA+ community. It is also a celebration of everything the community has achieved over the years, through their struggles and socio-cultural contributions.

We are happy to share that we will be posting a series of Q&A conversations with some of our colleagues sharing their views on the importance of Pride Month, how they are supporting DEI initiatives in the organisation, and how we can all be allies to colleagues and communities that need our support.

Here’s the first article in the series: Our Q&A with Neelin Jagtap, General Manager - Marketing and Buiness Shared Services. Neelin is based in our Pune office.

1.??????Do we think we need a Pride month at all, and if yes why?

I feel we definitely need a Pride month because it fosters a sense of solidarity and community among Pride members and others in the society. More importantly this month helps in raising awareness about the LGBTQIA+ community, their everyday challenges, and helps raise more awareness, thereby fostering acceptance.

2.??????What is a key step/action towards fostering inclusion?

A key step towards fostering inclusion is creating an environment that welcomes and respects individuals, regardless of their backgrounds, identities, experiences, or characteristics.

3.??????How are you supporting a culture of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Springer Nature?

It all started with educating myself about gender identities, stereotypes, and unconscious bias. Challenging my own biases needed a lot of unlearning and relearning. As a leader, I feel the onus is on me to foster an inclusive environment where every individual feels welcome and valued. Creating a safe space for people to share their experiences and actively listening to their perspectives is important. Over and above, I ensure that I am a strong ally for all our DEI initiatives at Springer Nature.

4.??????Do you think there’s support and acceptance in society today for the LGBTQIA+ community?

I feel the needle is moving in that direction, however, societal acceptance for the community varies significantly depending on the geographical location, cultures and perspectives.

There has been a global shift towards increased support and acceptance for the LGBTQIA+ community. Many countries have made laws and policies towards protection of their rights. However, it is important to recognise that challenges still persist. There are areas where LGBTQIA+ community members still face discrimination. So, I feel it’s a mixed bag – even though there has been significant progress towards acceptance and carving a space for LGBTQIA+ community members, there is still a long way to go!

5.??????How can one create a safe space for people who identify as LGBTQIA+?

As a leader, I have a responsibility to ensure that I create a safe and non-judgmental space for LGBTQIA+ colleagues. Educating myself about the LGBTQIA+ identities, and terminology and understanding the challenges and issues faced by them, helped me make basic changes in my language and day-to-day operations. This has helped me in creating a welcoming environment for LGBTQIA+ individuals. Currently I am also ensuring that my management team understands the nuances – to further ensure that we create a safe environment for everyone.?

6.??????How can one be a better ally according to you??

Learning to be a better ally is acknowledging some of our own privileges and making conscious efforts to be fair and inclusive, in any way possible. Some of the key things that are important according to me are –

·????????Unlearning and relearning to educate ourselves on the various nuances of LGBTQIA+ to overcome biases that one might have.

·????????Respecting gender identities, using the right pronouns and gender-neutral language.

·????????Challenging stereotypes and preconceived notions.

·????????Educating others to share knowledge with other leaders, team members and colleagues and engaging in respectful conversations to correct misconceptions.??

Watch this space for our next Q&A in the series

Read about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Springer Nature, here: https://bit.ly/3p2jmdp