Why LGBTQIA+ representation matters in the workplace

I was asked to talk about LGBTQ+ for 5 min in the context of an internal DEIB network at my workplace. I was not giving other guidance, just the headline LGBTQ+. As I sat down to decide what to talk about, a fundamental question popped in my mind:

Why does LGBTQ representation matter in the workplace?

Being our whole selves at work is important. When we are our whole selves at work, we share our ideas, we create a psychologically safe environment, we can challenge the status quo and we can enable innovation. But being our whole selves at work can be really hard, especially when who we are is not part of the norm or the majority.

And sometimes, being who we are at work is hard because we don’t want people to change the way they perceive us, we don’t want others to judge us, exclude us or be distant. And if being yourself isn’t the norm, there is always a chance that showing your true colors might lead some people to change their views of you.

That is why representation is so important.

That is also why I personally continue to be out and vocal at work. I want to show others that it is possible to succeed while being my whole self and that it’s possible to be ourselves at work without fear.

Additionally, representation also matters because it enables us to educate people around the organization about the adversity we face, how being part of the LGBTQ community might create some work constraints as we don’t have the same legal status everywhere around the globe. By doing so, we can create a work environment that is more inclusive as people learn to relate to our reality a little more.

I live in Denmark where the LGBTQIA community has attained rights on par with the hetero population and hence, one would think that LGBTQIA rights are of lesser relevance. When that is said, I work in a global company and even here in Europe, many countries do not offer the same rights to same-sex couples as to heterosexual ones. And one does not have to travel that far to find such a place. For example, I would not have been able to marry my wife and have my two kids through public funded insemination in Poland.

In addition to the above, I want to raise attention to one last item. LGBTQIA stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual. And over the years we have made great progress in terms of inclusion for the first 3 letters L, G and B (Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals) but I think many workplaces need to make an extra effort to ensure that the rest of the “alphabet” feels comfortable at work and that everyone has a place to be themselves. For example, most people see me as a woman but I don’t personally identify as binary. I am non-binary and gender fluid. I don’t know many others (yet) in the corporate world who also identify as non-binary. And in all honesty, when I mention that I am non-binary to people I can tell that I make people feel uncomfortable. They don’t know how to react, what it means and how to handle this. This is why we need more representation in the workplace so that we create awareness and in turn, create workplace environments where everyone feels comfortable and included.

#LGBTQIA #LGBTQ #samesex #workplace #culture #nonbinary #binary