LGBTQ Speakers
LGBTQ workplace education and allyship-building should not be something that is relegated exclusively to June, which is traditionally Pride month in the United States. For a more holistic approach, we recommend a year-long LGBTQ education and allyship strategy. We recommend, at a minimum:
4 quarterly workshops for community members and allies that address specific topics like transgender inclusion, non-binary 101, coming out at work, how to be a great LGBTQ ally, and more.
Access to eLearning for supplemental education
Leadership development opportunities for LGBTQ emerging leaders and high performers within your organization.
In many organizations, this programming is developed by the LGBTQ Employee Resource Group (ERG). We work closely with ERG leaders at organizations around the world to develop programming that entertains as well as educates ERG members and employees at large.
If you’re looking for an LGBTQ speaker for your ERG events, consider the following:
LGBTQ speakers should be people who are great speakers first, and LGBTQ second. Audiences respond well to speakers who are engaging, warm, funny, and vulnerable. A great LGBTQ speaker is all of these things while they’re telling their story and educating on their topic. Ask to see a speaker reel and a workshop or presentation outline.
A great LGBTQ speaker should allow questions and answers throughout the session so the audience doesn’t get overwhelmed or fall behind as the presentation progresses. They should make sure the audience is tuned in, alert, and has the space to be vulnerable themselves. One way we do this in our virtual workshops is by inviting people to send us private messages in the chat that we can respond to anonymously, thereby creating a safe space for vulnerability and sharing with peers.
We’ve received some powerful and vulnerable messages in private messages from corporate employees during our LGBTQ presentations, and by sharing them publicly – but anonymously – with their peers, we can facilitate empathy.
LGBTQ speakers can be from any part of the community. You’ll find powerful speakers who identify as bisexual, which is often the “hidden” part of the sexual orientation spectrum (yet is the largest population of LGBTQ people). Transgender speakers can bring their own unique and powerful perspective and story. All of these types of LGBTQ speakers can address topics like coming out at work and what they’re looking for in an ally.
Sometimes an LGBTQ panel discussion is a better approach to provide multiple, and often intersectional, perspectives on LGBTQ identity. Our LGBTQ speaker network can engage your audience in multiple ways that help allies become advocates for LGBTQ inclusion in the workplace and beyond.