Protective legislation against LGBTQI+ discrimination has been improving in many countries around the world, and positive representation in popular entertainment and arts media has increased. Frustratingly, however, discrimination against LGBTQI+ people in workplaces persist, even in countries with laws to prevent it, and some forms, such as the marginalisation of trans people, are particularly prevalent. The consequences are significant, and the damage lasting.
We have had the great opportunity to discuss this issue with Jack Guinness, public figure and LGBTQI+ activist whose publication, The Queer Bible, has been influential in promoting the visibility of queer experiences from around the world.
Jack also regularly works with global businesses and organisations looking to become more inclusive and diverse, and at SHE 2023, he will be taking the stage as host and keynote speaker on the topic of LGBTQI+ representation at work.
Legislated But Not Practiced
A 2022 report by Catalyst Inc. on LGBTQI+ workplace experiences in countries with clear anti-discrimination laws revealed that LGBTQI+ people continued to experience exclusion and prejudice in the workplace.
From micro-aggressive behaviour by colleagues or managers, reduced advancement opportunities, to blatant prejudice in the form of hate speech and slurs, it seems that even when the laws are in place, everyday practice does correspond.
Studies also revealed that racial prejudice and sexism were interwoven with LGBTQI+ discrimination. And overwhelmingly, the people who experience the most significant marginalisation are transgender persons.
We asked Jack, who was speaking from his office in London, what he felt was a good first step to improving upon this gloomy situation. In his advocacy for promoting LGBTQI+ voices through his popular public platforms, Jack has seen a world of prejudice in all its forms, and rather than rendering him despondent, he has maintained a sense of hope and optimism upon which he builds his advocacy.
Change, he expresses, requires willingness, humility, and getting uncomfortable. Once we accept that the process requires this, we can take our first steps toward creating more inclusive spaces that really work for everyone.
Representation Matters
While there is much critique about the potential for ‘box-ticking’ in our DE&I strategies at work, it remains true that representation is certainly essential to building diverse and inclusive environments.
Without simply having in the room people who are from a variety of social backgrounds, then the task of creating socially sustainable organisations becomes impossible. The best way to know what people need is to have those people there to express it.
And so, says Jack, we start right at the hiring stage. Hire LGBTQI+ people, and you will find that it will make the task of creating more inclusive working environments easier, because those voices will be right there to inform us on what is needed and wanted.
OK, boxes ticked! Problem solved. Not quite....
Jack is clear that simply satisfying an enforced hiring quota will not generate an inclusive work culture. The intention is wrong, and the resulting action will be neither genuine nor effective. The persons hired will be stepping into an environment that is resistant to change and in which they will not be heard or valued.
Because being a part of the LGBTQI+ community has carried with it such virulent stigma and prejudice for so long, the fear of morally-based discrimination (and the resulting shame experienced) is significant, making people even more reluctant to speak up for themselves if the environment they are in is at all hostile or resistant to what they might have to say.
Representation at Leadership Level is Necessary
This is where having representative leadership can be impactful. Having LGBTQI+ leaders empowers workers to speak up because they know that they are less likely to be judged. It also inspires employees to do their best work as they aim for achieving leadership status themselves.
Additionally, it makes it more likely that workers will bring their full selves to work, rather than engage in energy-consuming behaviours such as ‘covering’ (changing behaviour or appearance to avoid harmful encounters).
According to the Catalyst report mentioned above, as many as just over 40% of LGBTQI+ women hid their identities at work, and transgender employees were most likely to feel pressured to ‘cover’ at work.
Take Responsibility, Get Uncomfortable
A common complaint by leaders is that they are fearful of doing more harm by saying or doing the wrong thing, and that there are simply too many ways to offend people. The result? Don’t engage with the issues at all.
According to Jack, embracing our mistakes and getting uncomfortable is a necessary part of creating the change we seek. We cannot be expected to know everything, and our social worlds are changing so rapidly.
His own experiences of first expressing his identity as a gay man happened at a time in which the public discourse around sexuality and gender were vastly different. Since then, new terminology has been added, new legislation passed, and new struggles have been exposed and engaged with.
Even he makes mistakes sometimes, he admits, and the best way to deal with that is to acknowledge, earnestly that you blundered, and to listen to the responses of those who you may have unintentionally harmed.
The people, he says, who have most reason to get upset or be offended, are often the most forgiving of others who say or do things that could be hurtful. This is especially true when it’s clear that harm was not the intention, and that there is a real willingness to amend future behaviour.
While it’s not the marginalised person’s responsibility to educate or hold your hand through the process of unlearning discriminatory thinking, there is a large amount of generosity and patience employed in sharing the tools that will help understand each other.
This is all quite contrary to what sensational headlines will have you believe. It may seem like a scary, minefield of potentially offensive words and actions, but really, engaging with another person with obvious respect and humility are the best tools for navigating a difficult conversation.
Jack helps people become empowered through language, which creates that essential space of communication and understanding. The language, he knows, is constantly changing, but this is normal. In all aspects of society this is the case.
It’s better, he says, to make mistakes in conversation with others and have them correct us, than to not have the conversations at all. Nothing can change if nothing is talked about.
At the same time, ensure that you do not make it the duty of those from marginalised groups to do the work of representing or explaining their experiences constantly in a way that is burdensome or exposing. This goes back to increasing representation and engaging with respect.
Make space for people to talk, should they want to, by having representative staff and leaders, and respectful, considerate working spaces, and ask questions in a way that is not merely to satisfy your own curiosity but genuinely build a better environment.
A Constant Process of Learning
We are all, really, all, going to get it wrong sometimes. What was OK before, may not be so now. What was a faux pas previously, may be enthusiastically embraced now.
Think critically, and be ready to learn. You will likely find that this is quite enjoyable, that it can make you a better, more creative worker or leader, and you could even have more fun as you do so.
We want our organisations to last, to do good work, and to be good places to work. For this, learning and adaptation are essential. For those who think entrepreneurially, this should be very attractive, and for those who take pride in striving for excellence, it’s a refreshing (and rewarding!) challenge.
Though many parts of the world remain unsafe and discriminatory for LGBTQI+ people, global pressure is mounting, and changes are happening, even if slowly. And, having seen visible and positive results in the companies he has shared his knowledge with, Jack has good reason to be hopeful about workplace inclusion.
Read, Listen
To best understand the experiences of others, we need to do the work ourselves. Resources exist that can help, without relying on individuals we work or interact with to explain their realities to us.
Seek out those resources. Jack’s own publication, The Queer Bible, is one such incredible resource, and is an expanding compilation of voices of queer individuals from a variety of backgrounds and levels of influence.
To add to our list of resources, we have included powerful data tools that offer maps, graphs, reports and in-depth research on the realities of life for LGBTQI+ population around the world.
Thank you, Jack, for your contribution to this article, and we are eagerly counting down the days to your time on the main stage at SHE 2023!
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