Timely Topic: How To Be An LGBTQ Ally at Work

06.16.2021

Pride Month is a time to celebrate the gains made by the LGBTQ community – and to continue the fight for equality.

Allies are critical to making workplaces safe, welcoming and inclusive for LGBTQ+ people, said Matt Winser-Johns, assistant director of LGBT+ programs at the UT Dallas Galerstein Gender Center (GCC).

For example, 46 percent of LGBTQ employees reported being closeted at work, according to a 2018 report by the Human Rights Campaign, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that advocates for the LGBTQ community.

“Many LGBTQ+ people fear being fired, having to put up with homophobic and transphobic slurs, or feeling excluded,” Winser-Johns said.

The University was ranked the top Texas school and 19th in the nation by BestColleges for its commitment to LGBTQ-inclusive policies, programs and practices.

Matt Winser-Johns, assistant director of LGBT+ programs at the UT Dallas Galerstein Gender Center

How can you be an ally? Winser-Johns offers the following tips:

• Don’t assume anyone’s identity based on their gender expression. “It’s crucial that we don’t ask people if they are in the LGBTQ+ community. Let them tell you if and when they are ready,” Winser-Johns said. Many times, well-intentioned allies want to support their colleagues, but end up causing harm to LGBTQ+ people that aren’t ready to come out.
• Use inclusive language. Saying “my partner” allows everyone to talk inclusively about someone they might be married to or dating. Hearing straight allies say “partner” instead of “husband” or “wife” can invite others to share openly about their lives.
• Adding pronouns to your email signature or simply introducing yourself with your pronouns can help normalize pronoun usage. Not everyone uses the pronouns you might assume they use.
• Just simply listening to someone without asking a bunch of probing questions can help build any relationship in the workplace. A great ally to the LGBTQ community listens and mirrors back the language they hear from their colleague.
• Educate yourself about the most up-to-date language to affirm someone. Don’t rely on marginalized communities to educate you.

UT Dallas offers SAFE ZONE Ally Training and virtual mini-workshops to train and educate the UT Dallas community. Through the GGC, the University offers a variety of activities to celebrate Pride Month.

–Kim Horner