5 Things / Pride Paradox
Big news! My weekly LinkedIn Live show, 5 Things in 15 Minutes, is now a podcast! That means that you can catch me and Darnell Adams talking about this week’s 5 Things 👇. All you have to do is subscribe to 5 Things in 15 Minutes on your favorite podcast platform and I’ll bring some good vibes in DEI to start your work week off right.
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Happy Pride! I’m going to be honest here…to me, life as a gay person in America right now feels like whiplash. On one hand, we’re seeing rainbow everything and everywhere this year – from products at IKEA and Target to tweets like this from the Marines. It’s so extreme that I’ve seen posts decrying the commodification of pride. They’re not wrong. And also, I really love rainbows.
On the other hand, there have been ~240 anti-LGBTQ bills and laws (most of which target transgender youth) throughout the U.S in the past year. Hate crimes are rising, especially against Black transgender women. LGBTQ+ youth are struggling.
It’s still a very hard time to be LGBTQ+ in the world. Let’s not forget that while we celebrate. Let’s make sure we remember that the "community" is massively diverse, but it might be harder for those with multiple marginalized identities to be out (~50% of us aren't out at work).
Amplify a variety of our voices, not just those like mine. Don't get me wrong...I like it when you amplify my voice, but remember, I'm a boring suburban lesbian mom and I don't represent the diversity of this "community." Here are a few other queer voices and perspectives I enjoy listening to and learning from. I hope you do, too: Madison Butler Beck Bailey Rex Wilde Ashley T Brundage Dr. Tiffany Jana Rhodes Perry, MPA (he/him).
Here are the good vibes I found this week:
Unilever Is Skipping Rainbow Merchandise & Pride Floats. They’d Rather Make an Actual Difference
Here’s a mini case study on how to do Pride right…Unilever is skipping the rainbow everything and instead investing in LGBTQ organizations serving at-risk communities – and they’re doing it all year long. This matters because many organizations only invest in the LGBTQ community in June with an emphasis on the celebration. Unilever’s approach is more impactful.
Members of Ukraine’s LGBTQ Community Who Sign Up for the War Have Taken to Sewing the Image of the Mythical Beast Into Their Uniforms Just Below the National Flag
Ukrainian LGBTQ fighters have been sewing a rainbow unicorn to their uniform. This originated in 2014 when Russia first invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea. Many of these fighters are volunteers, never before trained as soldiers, but called to serve Ukraine. In a horrible war, this symbol of Pride gives me the feels.
Shonda Rhimes Launches Two New DEI Initiatives With Netflix
Netflix has two new initiatives designed to increase the pipeline of underrepresented behind-the-scenes talent. The initiatives were developed by Shonda Rhimes. Both initiatives will pay underrepresented people while they learn on-the-job training in production and on-set roles. This equitable initiative gives folks a leg up and can contribute to the reduction of the racial wealth gap.
Virgin Atlantic Makes History With New Change to Employee Dress Code
Virgin Airways, known for being very progressive, is the first airline to allow flight attendants to show visible tattoos and body art, including on the face and hands. This simple change expands the talent pool of stuff. This matters to employees who choose to express their identities in this way but may have career limitations as a result.
Slack Will Teach Your Co-workers How to Pronounce Your Name
Slack has a new feature that allows users to share their name pronunciation. This feature already exists on LinkedIn and is useful in avoiding awkward mispronunciations that cause others to feel like outsiders. This matters because correctly pronouncing someone's name can help us more authentically connect with them.
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