Sessions
Concurrent Session
Supporting Your Transgender and LGBTQ+ Employees in the Face of Inclusion Pushback
In-Person and Virtual
Tuesday 11/05/2024 02:15 PM - 03:15 PM
Competencies: Interpersonal (Behavioral), People (Technical)
| Intended Audience: Intermediate (Fostering I&D)
Workplace Application:
This session will equip attendees to deal with all forms of pushback against LGBTQ+ employees in a way that honors all belief systems while taking a firm stance for inclusion.
More companies than ever employ openly LGBTQ+ people, yet over 30% of LGBTQ+ people are actively applying to work somewhere more inclusive. LGBTQ+ employees face coworkers who refuse to treat them respectfully, citing religious and polarizing beliefs, while HR managers feel they can't step in. This session will equip you with educational, policy, and enforcement strategies to build workplaces where all employees get to feel authentically seen and respected.
Learning Objectives:
- Have the knowledge and resources to handle the large percentage of objections based on confusion and lack of understanding, including a firm foundation of language around LGBTQ+ and transgender identities.
- Understand the foundations of frequent religious objections and be equipped to differentiate between honoring all beliefs while having standards and policies for behavior, especially around topics such as pronouns and inclusive or hateful language.
- Understand the driving forces of the increase in anti-LGBTQ+ polarity and will feel prepared to address misinformation and hate speech as it arises in their organization.
- Learn about the United States's "Internal Refugee Crisis" of over 200,000 LGBTQ+ individuals and families leaving their homes, and often their workplaces, to flee laws jeopardizing their access to healthcare, restrooms, and education, and will feel prepared to develop a strategy to support these employees.
