5 Things / Karen

We’re setting an example, whether we like it or not.

My son Patrick and I were waiting at a fast food restaurant, that, on this occasion, was not very fast. We were on the way to an appointment and I was growing impatient. Patrick, 13, turned to me and said, “Mom, don’t go all Karen on them.”

Ouch. It’s true that he’s a sassy teenager. But let me tell you that the LAST thing I want to do is go all Karen on anybody – or even be perceived by my son as someone who could! He checked me, though, and that was the gift.

The gift of mindfulness, awareness of my privilege, and the reminder that he’s watching…after all, I’m still setting an example. And so are you, in every single relationship you have.

This Week’s Good Vibes:

1. SFMOMA’s New Exhibit Celebrates Inclusion

   • San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is now showcasing over 80 pieces by artists with developmental disabilities in "Creative Growth: The House That Art Built." This exhibit, featuring acrylics, pastels, ceramics, and film, highlights works from Oakland’s Creative Growth Art Center. Last year, SFMOMA acquired 150 pieces by artists with disabilities, becoming one of the largest holders of such works globally. This exhibit celebrates the immense talent and creativity of these artists and aligns with SFMOMA's mission to engage diverse artists and audiences and enhance museum accessibility.

2. Frontier Co-Op’s Values-Driven Approach

   • Frontier Co-op, an Iowa-based herbs and spices manufacturer with 550 employees, cares for 110 children and offers affordable, quality childcare onsite to its employees. This subsidized onsite childcare program began in the 1980s to support working parents and is not run by a third party. Today, it still only costs employees about $2 an hour and includes before and after-school care and a summer camp. Frontier also reimburses up to 55% of offsite childcare expenses. This program has helped Frontier maintain a low turnover rate and fill job openings quickly, illustrating the power of creative solutions in promoting workplace equity.

3. Kaylynne Truong Becomes the First Vietnamese Athlete in the WNBA

   • While Caitlin Clark was getting all the hype, Kaylynne Truong made history as the first Vietnamese athlete to play in the WNBA, drafted by the Washington Mystics. She was the 21st overall pick in the second round and is ready to break down the model minority myth and show that Asian-Americans can excel in professional sports. With just 1.4% of WNBA players being Asian, her presence as a possible model for young Asian athletes is vital.

4. Sesame Place Is More Inclusive of Neurodivergence

   • Liechtenstein's parliament has passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, making it the 22nd European country to do so. The Landtag voted overwhelmingly in favor, with 24 out of 25 members supporting the bill, set to take effect in early 2025. This vote came just in time for the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia. Note that about 34/195 countries have marriage equality and several dozen still ban LGBTQ+ activity and relationships.

5. Apple Products Grow More Accessible

   • Apple has unveiled new accessibility features, such as Eye Tracking for iPads and iPhones, Music Haptics for the deaf and hard of hearing, Vocal Shortcuts, and Vehicle Motion Cues. Eye Tracking uses AI to help users with physical disabilities control their devices, while Music Haptics provides tactile feedback for music lovers who are deaf. By integrating AI and machine learning, Apple enhances device usability for those with physical disabilities, hearing impairments, and motion sensitivity. More joy for everyone!

Call to Action:

Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) was last week. Get your organization a free accessibility assessment by our friends at Ablr, who train visually impaired folks to perform accessibility audits (among other amazing things).

5 Things / Good Trouble

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I recently delivered a keynote at the DFW Inclusion Conference and spoke about how we can come together in our increasingly polarized society. My talk built upon what my friend Kelvin Goss spoke about earlier. Kelvin challenged us to get into “good trouble.”

That was the challenge set forth by the late great Congressman John Lewis, a legend who fought with Dr. King for civil rights: “Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.”

Here’s how Kelvin reinterpreted this message to urge us to get into good trouble. I’m ready. Are you? 

💡speak up for inclusion and equity

💡challenge bias

💡educate others

💡create allies

💡lead by example

Here Are This Week's Good Vibes:

1. LGBTQ+ Inclusive Curriculum in Washington

   • Washington state in the US has taken a big step forward by passing a law requiring LGBTQ+ inclusive curricula in public schools, joining six other states. The law ensures that students will learn about the histories, contributions, and perspectives of marginalized groups, including LGBTQ+ individuals. Sharing these stories can lead to better attendance and academic achievement due to safer environments and reduced harassment in schools. This is such a positive move, especially considering the wave of anti-LGBTQ laws in other states, many of which directly impact youth.

2. Big ROI on Child Care Benefits

   • For every dollar invested in childcare benefits, employers see significant returns, ranging from $0.90 to $4.25, through reduced absenteeism and attrition, according to a new study by Boston Consulting Group and Moms First. Examples from companies like UPS, Etsy, and Steamboat showcase tangible benefits towards boosting workforce participation and retention. Currently, only 12% of employees have access to childcare benefits, and this disproportionately affects part-timers and low-income earners. I hope more companies will make these investments, which are just good for everyone.

3. “Hop” Showcases Authentic Disability Representation

   • "Hop," the first animated show with a cast of characters who all have some type of disability, debuts on Max this week. Led by Hop, a frog with a shorter leg, and friends like Filipa, a neurodivergent squirrel, the show is hilarious for kids while fostering empathy. What I love is that voice actors include David Connolly, a double amputee, and Charlotte Walker, who has autism, adding authenticity. The powerful representation de-stigmatizes these disabilities. The show was developed in partnership with RespectAbility

4. Federal Forms to be Updated for Better Representation

   • The US government is expanding race and ethnicity options on federal forms, including the next Census. Additions include a Middle Eastern or North African category and a reformulation of the Hispanic or Latino categories. They’re also testing sexual orientation and gender identity questions in next year’s American Community Survey for possible inclusion in 2030. This is a huge deal because more precise data collection is essential for informed policymaking, resource allocation, and addressing systemic inequalities. It also allows for better representation and advocacy for historically underrepresented groups.

5. Yurok Becomes First Tribal Nation to Co-manage Land

   • The Yurok Tribe reclaimed 125 acres near Redwood National and State Parks, a historic return after 90% of their land was taken during the California Gold Rush. They became the first tribal nation to co-manage land with the National Park Service under a historic memorandum of understanding signed by the tribe, Redwood National and State Parks, and the non-profit Save the Redwoods League. The tribe plans a Yurok village, cultural center, trails, and salmon habitat restoration. This is a monumental step towards healing past injustices and honoring Indigenous wisdom in land management and conservation.

This Week’s Call to Action:

Tomorrow is Transgender Day of Visibility, celebrated each year on March 31. My good friend Rhodes Perry created a checklist on how to show up for your TGX (transgender and gender expansive) colleagues. It’s a great personal and professional resource.

5 Things / More Than Words

I spent this week polishing my new keynote with my Heroic Public Speaking cohort. My new DEI keynote is called More Than Words and addresses the gap between DEI strategy and results. Reply if you want to hear more about it.

Thanks to my work with HPS, it’s an entertaining and engaging keynote that was crafted with the support of my cohort: an eclectic and diverse group of former corporate execs, entrepreneurs, and military veterans who speak on topics as varied as mindfulness, empathetic leadership, innovation, and interior design!

For four days, we came together, day and night to work on our craft. Not once did we talk about politics or the U.S. election results. Not once did we talk about Elon Musk or layoffs. Crafting an impactful keynote in a community with others is a vulnerable and humbling experience, and requires a ton of psychological safety. We’re now bonded for life. There’s something incredibly special about coming together in a community on the same journey toward parallel goals.

Are you looking for a professional community of any kind? Please respond if you are and I might be able to point you in the right direction.

Here are the good vibes I found this week:

This week I found optimism in the U.S. election results with an increase in diversity among newly elected officials around the country and across party lines. This matters because representation matters, perhaps more than ever:

1. Gen Z voted in big numbers, showing true civic engagement. And it has its first member of Congress: Maxwell Alejandro Frost, from the Orlando area.

2. Some big firsts in Maryland: its first Black governor, Wes Moore; first Indian American lieutenant governor, Aruna Miller, and the first Black state attorney general, Anthony Brown.

3. Two lesbians, Maura Healey from Massachusetts, and Tina Koteck from Oregon were elected governors, part of a larger group of 436 LGBTQ people elected. That’s 100 more than in 2020.

4. 12 women are now U.S. governors, also a first (yet still far too small a number…) with some states like Alabama and Arkansas electing women for the first time ever.

5. Some more firsts in Congress: Delia Ramirez became the first Latina Congresswoman from Illinois. Summer Lee became the first Black Congresswoman from Pennsylvania, and Katie Britt became the first woman Senator from Alabama.

5 Things / Alignment

This week, in Florida, the legislature passed a “Don’t Say Gay” bill that prohibits discussing anything LGBTQ+ in schools (among other mean-spirited things). Governor DeSantis is expected to sign it into law. As a lesbian, I’m horrified by this and the message it sends young LGBTQ+ people. As a DEI professional, I’m outraged that major Florida-based companies stood by passively. And in some cases (ahem, Disney), donated funds to Florida legislators who supported the bill.

LGBTQ+ employees at Disney are now expressing their own outrage, especially after CEO Bob Chapk explained that Disney promoted inclusion in other ways, through their programming. Employees argue that LGBTQ+ representation is frequently diluted from that as well.

Long story short: Disney is out of alignment…its 100% score on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index doesn’t align with the actions and words of its leaders. And employees are noticing. I guarantee they’ll notice at your organization as well, even if the misalignment isn’t as egregious. Sometimes a misalignment can occur when a microaggression is ignored. Or when an employee from an underrepresented group is consistently overlooked by a manager.

The obvious lesson here is that you’ve got to walk the talk…and employees are paying attention. 

Here are the good vibes…

More on walking the talk…UK-based companies who tweeted celebrations of International Women’s Day may have been surprised when the Pay Gap Bot tweeted their gender pay gap. The UK is one of a handful of countries that requires companies to report their pay gap. This fun bot matters because it brings awareness to a huge global lack of equality (and also spotlights some hypocrisy).

In Colombia, the Constitutional Court approved a third gender identity marker, making it the first Latin American country to do so. This matters because there are more than two genders and the forced binary has meant that lots of transgender and non-binary people have been excluded from living as their authentic selves.

I don't typically write about environmental commitments, but this one is so cool! Shopify has committed to powering all of its employees’ home offices using wind energy. All employees work remotely. This matters because climate change is real and companies are huge contributors to it.

United Airlines has a great plan to diversify its pilots. 80% of the first class of its brand new flight school are women and BIPOC. The company pays for the initial certification, provides scholarships and access to loans, and guarantees a job upon graduation. This matters because it shows intentional commitment to increasing diversity, with a tangible plan on how to do so.

As Russia continues to wage war against Ukraine, more and more companies are cutting ties to the country in an effort to put pressure on Putin to back down. Here’s an ongoing list of companies pulling out of Russia.

Why & How to Share Gender Pronouns at Work

A little background

The LGBTQ+ acronym may overwhelm some people and some may even consider it an “alphabet soup” of letters. The reality, however, is that young people (and not just young Americans) are increasingly identifying as not exclusively heterosexual and not exclusively male or female — in other words, they’re identifying outside the binary of gender (and sexuality). About 28% of Gen Z say they’re not straight per 2024 data from IPPM, and about 2% of those ID as transgender, according to Gallup.

More and more young people are coming out as LGBTQ+ — much more so than older generations. The future is fluid.

Although there’s still a lot of work to do to ensure that LGBTQ+ people are protected and feel safe, many organizations are increasingly inclusive of the spectrum of gender at work and in customer service.

Many airlines allow transgender and non-binary people to have a third gender option on their boarding passes. More than 15 U.S. states will issue a drivers license with X as the designated gender. The U.S., Canadian, Australian and other governments issue gender X on passports.

And 35% of those 7 to 22 years old know someone personally who uses gender neutral pronouns to describe themselves, according to Pew Research.

What are gender neutral pronouns?

Traditional gender pronouns such as she/her and he/him are pretty self-explanatory, but many folks who identify outside the gender binary use the singular “they” or even some new/neo pronouns to self-identify.

While the singular “they” may seem confusing, especially for grammar nerds, we actually use the singular “they” all the time. For example if someone left their phone in a conference room, we might say, “Someone left their phone.”

We probably wouldn’t say someone left his phone, or someone left her phone. But rather someone left their phone. We use the singular “they” all the time when gender doesn’t matter.

In fact the use of the singular “they” has become so popular as a gender inclusive pronoun that Miriam Webster Dictionary named it Word of the Year in 2019.

How to share gender pronouns at work to be an LGBTQ+ ally

One of the ways cisgender (that means that you identify with the gender the doctor assigned you at birth) people can be allies to transgender, non-binary, and gender nonconforming people is to proactively share their pronouns in their email signature and other places at work.

It’s pretty simple to update your email signature, video conferencing name, and social media name to include your pronouns. In fact, software like Zoom and LinkedIn allow you to preset your pronouns and Zoom even lets you choose whether or not to share them at the beginning of every meeting.

Sharing your pronouns sends a signal that you are an aspiring ally and reduces the risk of misgendering (or calling using the wrong pronouns or name for someone). Proactively sharing pronouns normalizes the discussion and de-stigmatizes transgender and non-binary folks who often must do this kind of education themselves.

Here’s what this can look like in practice:

How to ask gender pronouns at work

Beyond sharing in email signatures, we recommend getting comfortable with the phrase, “My name is ____ and my pronouns are ___. If you’re comfortable sharing, what are your name and pronouns?”

It will feel awkward at first. Keep practicing aloud with your pet, spouse, child, friend, or mirror to get those words flowing comfortably.

We also recommend proactively collecting pronouns on any sort of form that you use, such as an event registration form or other signup form. That way, you can and then include those pronouns on name badges or in your database, to make sure that you again reduce the risk of misgendering.

What if I mess up and use the wrong pronouns?

You will. It’s OK. Simply apologize sincerely (once), commit to doing better, and move onto the next topic. Don’t put the burden of comforting (or educating) you on the person you accidentally offended. You probably had the best of intentions, yet the impact may have been harmful. Take responsibility.

And if you want to self-educate, check out our LGBTQ+ Inclusive online courses!

How to respond to those who say, “I respect everyone but don’t feel the need to do anything differently.”

You may hear from some colleagues that they’re simply not interested in changing their behavior to be more inclusive. While you may be motivated to educate them, be careful of being self-righteous. Others can’t learn from you if they are turned off from listening to begin with.

Always come back to the organization’s core values and/or statement of purpose, especially those that are people-focused. Remind them that the organization is building a workplace where everyone should feel respected. That means giving all employees tools to be more inclusive of their diverse colleagues.