Supporting LGBTQ Co-Workers

Supporting LGBTQ Co-workers is important in creating a safe and inclusive work environment.

LGBTQ+ individuals experience discrimination and harassment in all spaces — the workplace is no different. This directly, negatively impacts LGBTQ+ individuals’ mental health, and LGBTQ+ adults are more than twice as likely to experience mental health conditions. They are also at higher risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviour. 

A U.K. report found that seven in ten LGBTQ+ people have been sexually harassed at work and two-thirds did not report harassment to their employer. The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy found 15% to 43% of gay and transgender workers faced some sort of workplace discrimination in the U.S. (source). It is important to note that the experience of discrimination and harassment is not consistent across the queer community: 

• LGBTQ+ people of colour are more than twice as likely to experience discrimination in the workplace as their white peers
• LGBTQ+ women experience sexual harassment at higher rates than men 
• 90% of transgender workers have experienced harassment or mistreatment at work

How to foster a Safe work Environment 

Many organizations have created policies for the protection of LGBTQ+ workers as a response. Workplace policies are a great first step, but policies alone are not enough. Individuals are a key part of creating safe and inclusive workplaces. So what can we do to foster a safe environment for LGBTQ+ co-workers?

1. Educate yourself on the LGBTQ+ community. Here are some resources to get started. TheSafeZoneProject for terminology, PFLAG a website for families and friends of LGBTQ+ people, or GLAAD, an organization devoted to shaping conversations about LGBT folks.
2. Don’t make assumptions. Making assumptions puts individuals in the awkward position of correcting others. If we do not assume someone’s gender or pronouns based on how they present and do not assume the gender of someone’s partner, it allows them to give us that information without needing to correct us.
3. Introduce yourself with your name and pronouns. This helps reduce instances of people assuming gender and pronouns as well as reduce the othering of transgender and non-binary require or practice telling people their pronouns. 
4. Take action when discrimination or harrassment does occur. Remind others that making jokes at the expense of someone in the LGBTQ+ community is not accepted and will not be tolerated. Even using a phrase like “that’s so gay” is not acceptable and this type of behaviour should be called out.

Things that should not be done in the workplace

Often when we find out a co-worker is part of the LGBTQ+ community we want to show our support but don’t know the best way to do so. What are some, potentially well meaning, things that shouldn’t be done in the workplace when it comes to LGBTQ+ co-workers?

1. Don’t ask a bunch of questions. Many questions are well meaning but can be hurtful, make people feel uncomfortable, and often require a significant amount of emotional labour to answer. There are also many instances where the workplace is not the appropriate setting for these questions.  
2. Don’t out someone at work. Just because someone has told you how they identify does not mean they are out to everyone in the workplace. They likely came out to you because they trust you, so maintain that trust.
3. Don’t play matchmaker. When well meaning straight people try to set someone up it is typically simply based on the fact that they happen to know someone else is gay (or however they identify). This not only ignores the many other factors that go into dating but in most cases makes people uncomfortable. 

Final Thoughts

LGBTQ+ individuals experience discrimination and harassment in all spaces — the workplace is no different.  Not only have seven in ten LGBTQ+ people been sexually harassed at work, 15% to 43% of gay and transgender workers have faced some sort of workplace discrimination in the U.S. This directly, negatively impacts LGBTQ+ individuals’ mental health. With a little self education and some care in the workplace, we can all make a difference in creating a safer more accepting workplace for everyone.