Flexability | Show some pride in Pride

It’s #Pride Month. Given the recent political division about attitudes to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer-plus (LGBTQ+) community, it’s time to talk about what companies can do to be real allies for those whose gender identity lies beyond the binary and those whose sexual orientation falls outside the heteronormative.

This community needs our active support and “doing Pride” for one month every year doesn’t cut it. True allyship is an “always on” thing. We all know that, so let’s show that.

“Rainbow washing” is unacceptable. If you want proof, the backlash against brands such as Target and Budweiser Light for not standing up for their principles on LGBTQ+ rights is nothing if not informative.

I’m not denying it can be scary for a brand to put itself out there on any political issue. The backlash can be painful to endure, but we must remember that while the voices of those who are against LGBTQ+ rights are ringing out loudly, most Americans believe that it is important that workplaces care about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

Here’s the proof: recent research from the Pew Research Center shows that the majority of employed adults in the United States (56%) believe that focusing on promoting DEI at work is a good thing. The same report shows that 28% think that promoting DEI in the workplace is “neither good nor bad”, and only 16% say it’s a bad thing.

So, how do companies show that they care about DEI, and especially the LGBTQ+ community, year-round? Instead of a flashy social media campaign just for June, focus on showing your LGBTQ+ colleagues that you care about their physical and psychological safety every day.

It’s easy to say, “Well, I don’t care if someone is LGBTQ+.” Despite some awkward storytelling, a recent episode of Ted Lasso (Season 3, Episode 9), the sports-themed comedy drama, does a fair job of explaining why this is not a helpful stance.

In the clip, one of the football players, Colin, comes out to his fellow players in the locker room as gay. The players respond that they “don’t care about that”. Ted, the coach, stops them and explains that not caring can be just as harmful as outright hostility because it means that Colin is left to bear the brunt of negative reactions to his gayness alone.

“We do care,” he tells Colin. “We care about who you are and what you must have been going through. But, hey, from now on, you don’t have to go through it all by yourself.”

We must stand alongside our LGBTQ+ colleagues, caring about the backlash against their human rights.

There are policies and procedures that business leaders and managers can put in place - none of them flashy – that can show we’re allies. We can provide full health benefits to all employees; provide support for transgender care; accept unconventional families and allow equal family leave to everyone; establish affinity groups in the workplace and get our business leaders to champion them; and provide pronouns in email sign-offs so that there is less of a chance that someone’s gender identity is mistaken. In addition, we can ensure that the images we use on our websites and in our social media posts are representative and that we can support LGBTQ+ suppliers through our supply chain.

Apart from the moral rightness of this, there is a sound financial argument for this. Research group LGBT Capital estimated back in 2019 that the LGBTQ+ community’s share of global household wealth was around $23-trillion. That’s a powerful marketplace.

Also, as the Pew research cited above shows, the majority of the American workforce cares about DEI and is looking for brands, products and services that care about inclusivity. Finally, and importantly, showing you care about DEI when it comes to the LGBTQ+ community will lead to your having teams working for you in which the individuals trust each other and so perform better.

You could take it even further and donate to, or otherwise support, organizations that look out for LGBTQ+ rights, avoid holding conferences and meetings in states where it is unsafe for people from the community to travel, and decline to do business with companies that are hostile to LGBTQ+ rights.

This Pride Month, commit to making a positive impact, not just signalling intent. It’s action, not words, that count.