5 Things / TDOV
Thursday was Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV). Do you have any transgender people in your life?
As recently as 6 years ago, I only had one transgender friend, a former client. But I gradually got to know a bunch of really brilliant, thoughtful, and kind trans and non-binary people who are doing great things in the world. And I know them (and get to work with them, and get to love them) because they were brave enough to be visible, despite the many, many reasons (like violence and unjust laws) it would seem easier to hide.
5 things/ Abundance
This week, one of the attendees at my keynote mentioned how creating seats at tables for others (who have been historically marginalized) can be challenging because of the fear that making room for others means giving up one’s own power – and power is scarce.
5 Things / Perspectives
Last weekend I was in Ireland for my aunt’s funeral. The trip was full of storytelling and laughter, and bonding with my sister who’s 16 years older than me and of a different generation. We had vastly different childhoods and different perspectives on the world. At one point while we were chatting with a cousin about my work, my sister brought up decades-old attempts to diversify workforces where under-qualified candidates were supposedly hired because of quotas for roles they had “no business being in.” Let’s settle this question in 2022: does setting diversity hiring targets lower the bar?
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.
5 Things / ISO
Each week I sit down to write about stories I find and consider to be good news about diversity, equity, inclusion, and corporate social responsibility. Some weeks it’s really hard to focus on the positive, so I look for silver linings in horrible situations. Sometimes it’s hard to find those, too. This week I’m particularly stunned by the war in Ukraine, by the racism against Black and brown Ukrainian refugees at border crossings, and by the aggressive attacks against LGBTQ (especially trans) people in a bunch of U.S. states.