5 Things / Visibility
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My partner Heather Vickery and I spent Wednesday (Lesbian Visibility Day!) in Springfield for LGBTQ Advocacy Day at the Illinois State Capitol. It was my first time attending this annual event organized by Equality Illinois. The goal is to meet with legislators and share our perspectives on LGBTQ-related bills.
There was a group of about 100 of us from all over the state who met up in Springfield. Many, like Heather and I, drove 3+ hours to be there. At lunch, we spoke to a woman who runs Rainbow Cafe, an LGBTQ Center in Carbondale, a city in southern Illinois that’s an easy drive from Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, and Indiana. It’s an easy drive from states where LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights are under attack. This woman’s been getting calls from parents of LGBTQ kids in those other states looking to get gender-affirming care and possibly relocate to Illinois.
The Chicago Tribune wrote a story this week about people relocating to Illinois from states with conservative agendas. The story featured a number of families who’ve done this or are hoping to – but according to Zillow, communities with explicit legal protections for LGBTQ people have 63% higher home costs than those that don’t. It can be cost-prohibitive for many families to relocate.
Where are the good vibes?There’s an opportunity for businesses to show their LGBTQ+ employees that they’ve got their backs through internal communication reinforcing support and resources, or by paying relocation expenses. It also helps to publicly oppose anti-LGBTQ legislation and promote diversity in product design and marketing.
This Week's Good Vibes:
The Owners of Butter & Gave Their Employees Stock Options
The owners of a cake shop in San Francisco called Butter& decided to offer stock options to its employees as a way to retain them and align their interests with those of the company. The tenure of employees is amazing as a result, and those employees are much more invested in the success of the company. What I love about this story is that it shares a model (with details!) for smaller businesses to consider. This matters because it provides equity to traditionally under-valued frontline employees.
Barbie Doll With Down’s Syndrome Launched by Mattel
For the first time, there’s a Barbie doll with Down’s Syndrome. Mattel partnered with the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) on product development. Ellie Goldstein, a model with Down’s syndrome, is part of the ad campaign. I’ve written a lot about Barbie here in 5 Things because the brand has embraced diversity in remarkable ways over the years as part of its mission to “enable all children to see themselves in Barbie.”
Linkedin’s New Commitments Tool Lets Users Screen Prospective Employers by What They Stand For
LinkedIn has a new tool called “Commitments” which allows companies to display specific values as part of their profile. This, in turn, helps job seekers find companies that align with their values. The values included are work-life balance, DEI, career growth and learning, social impact, and environmental sustainability. Of course, any company can say they support those things, but have a culture to the contrary – but I think these Commitments offer an opportunity for accountability. It sets the foundation for more win-wins, more employee retention, and engagement.
Taraji P. Henson and Kate Spade Are Teaming Up With HBCUs
Actor Taraji P. Henson, in collaboration with Kate Spade, piloted women-specific mental health care services at Alabama State University, a Historically Black College and University. The pilot program offers students free therapy sessions, rest pods for silence and rest, training in yoga, meditation, art, sound and dance therapy, and a lot more. This initiative came about, in part, because of Henson’s own silent mental health struggles…she knows this is a huge problem often not discussed in the Black community and wants to de-stigmatize mental health care.
USA Today Highlights Some of the Incredible Accessible Products They’ve Seen and the Impact They’re Making in People’s Lives
USA Today newspaper has a section called “Reviewed” which reviews products. Well, as part of their “Accessibility April” series, each of the products that were reviewed was accessible – and the coverage was written by people with these disabilities. The stories range from accessible grill tools to alarm clocks for deaf people. I think this is absolutely fantastic because sometimes we have to overcompensate to make up for all the exclusion of the past. The needs of people with disabilities (20-25% of Americans) have certainly been excluded from product reviews.
Call to Action:
I’m not going to do this often, I promise, but please consider a donation to the Rainbow Cafe or your local LGBTQ Center.
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