Are you a corporate leader and aspiring LGBTQ+ ally? There is a LOT you can do to support your LGBTQ+ employees and colleagues right now.* What meaningful actions will YOU take this Pride Month?
- Be a corporate sponsor of the local Pride celebration. Have a plan for handling coordinated backlash from organized hate groups. [Marketing & PR]
- Review the recipients of your PAC contributions. Stop giving money to sponsors and supporters of the anti-LGBTQ legislation that’s showing up in state houses around the country. [Corporate PAC]
- Ensure your employee benefits package includes same-sex partners, whether or not the partners are legally married. [Benefits Admin]
- Ensure your health care benefits include coverage for gender-affirming care, fertility treatments, and mental health services. [Benefits Admin]
- If you don’t have executives who are outspoken members of the LGBTQ+ community, find out why. Then fix the problem. [C-Suite]
- Properly fund and staff the team that runs your company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, as well as your Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). [Finance & Strategy]
- Remember that people live in the intersection of LGBTQ+ and other marginalized identities. Is your Pride ERG led exclusively by able-bodied, white, cisgender, gay men (and white-women allies)? Find out how you can ensure the space is more welcoming and affirming for Black, brown, trans, nonbinary, and/or disabled queer people. [Diversity & Inclusion]
- Offer leadership training, career coaching, and other professional support specifically designed for LGBTQ+ professionals. Help these employees show up authentically so they can fulfill their potential in your organization (or risk losing them to a competitor). [Learning & Development]
- Provide allyship training throughout your organization. Make this training a requirement for all leadership positions. (Don’t stop at LGBTQ+ allyship. Remember, allyship must be intersectional.) [Learning & Development]
- Set an example by including your pronouns in your email signature, Zoom window, and social media profiles. Be a vocal champion of your organization’s advocacy and allyship work. Listen to your employees, and learn from past mistakes. [You, Personally]
*This list is not exhaustive, but it’s a good start.
