Introducing Your Future Customers, Clients and Guests

The LGBTQIA alphabet soup is overwhelming to many, and lots of people consider the acronym and related terms "politically correct." The reality, however, is that young people (and not just young Americans) are increasingly identifying as queer. In fact, 20% of those 18-34 now identify as LGBTQ (GLAAD, 2017), with 12% identifying as transgender. Paying attention to these folks should matter to any company with front line workers who provide customer service in any capacity.

The video below is excerpted from a wonderful piece created by the Chronicle of Higher Education and showcases numerous college students who talk about their identity and related concerns. These folks and others like them are your future customers, clients, guests and patients. Companies and institutions who fail to consider the identity of these folks in their policies and customer service practices will lose business (and potentially be at risk for a PR nightmare or lawsuit).

What is your company doing to ensure that your workers understand the increasingly diverse ways your guests identify?