Discriminatory divisions are with human civilization since the beginning. Society creates several walls to keep one section or the other away from normal participation and enjoys this sense of superiority. It is less social and more psychological in nature. When it comes to the LGBTQ community this discrimination and abuse are more acute as it makes even survival a challenging task.
If we believe in the uniqueness of every individual, then we have to accept the uniqueness of this community as well and let them have equal participation in aspects of society and feel equal. Just like anyone else, people from LGBTQ community also loves and appreciates support from society at large. The support is not just in terms of acceptance, but understanding the views and opinion and actions that help in making life better. One area that needs special support is work.
A survey conducted by a Human Rights Campaign Foundation report suggests that a high 46% of LGBTQ workers say they feel alienated in workspace because of non-acceptance as normal people. Here are some things you can do to support the LGBTQ community:
Your assumption about understanding LGBTQs in terms of look, orientation, behavior, and lifestyle is the biggest hurdle between you and that person. People feel discriminated only because they are not heard or understood the way they want. Break the barrier if assumption and talk with your LGBTQ colleague that will be the biggest support for him.
Welcome Your Friend
Frankly, the majority of people from the community don’t even try to get a decent job because of safety and morality concerns. They simply hate the bombardment of ill-informed questions about personal life. Break that resistance by accepting them and welcoming them with no if and buts.
The challenge is the missing oneness factor making it difficult to be expressive about orientation and desires. Once LGBTQ is public about his orientation, he expects an open approach just like everyone else. The Hyper formal atmosphere at work acts as a killer. Be open and normal in interaction with LGBTQ people as this helps them bridge the gap and feel equal. However, avoid being too noisy and selective in asking personal questions.
You know about sexual orientation and behavioral response mechanism of your LGBTQ colleague. There is nothing wrong in asking about orientation, but how many times in a day. It hurts and hurts badly to be always in the state of mind. There is life beyond sex also. The whole struggle is focused on the right to equality not just in legal terms, but in social terms also.
Help in Building Community
It is good if you could help them strengthen the community by introducing your gay friends to your colleague. This makes them feel understood, safe and visibly accepted. It is little beyond common gestural acceptance and feels like getting real support from outside.
Know about the life and challenges the community faces by opening yourself to news of the community. Your LGBTQ co-worker will love your learning and help add some more value to it so that you could extend more support. If you want to be supportive of the cause know about them.
Gender Neutrality and Lingua
In day to day life the LGBTQ community, especially transgender and gender-fluid, face an uphill task to clarify the gender status. The confusion, bias, and misunderstanding on gender neutrality are very painful to community and such a situation creates undue stress. Be careful in your lingua when in conversation with LGBTQ people as your carelessness could hurt them deeper. The best possible strategy to avoid any confusion is to ask about in advance.
Your support does not just face to face but in the absence of the LGBTQ colleague as well. If someone is making some mistakes in terms of identity or homophobic jokes it is better to rectify the mistake and help him learn basic etiquettes of communications. That will be the biggest contribution towards to community as external support helps more in building the trust.
Your Care Factor
Frankly, this is little beyond the normal day to day life as you come forward to extend helping hand to the community at large. If you can help them in managing micro-events for community cause that will go a long way in terms of building an equitable society. Be participative and feel the joy in the members of the community. If you want to make a real difference, help in system development where transgender could get equal rights.
Make Mistake but Amend
It is natural that you might make some mistakes and you feel bad about it. That feeling is most important because this opens the gate of a higher level of equality which is a level up from the legal world. Your minuscule effort is part of the bigger force that will make this world a better place for LGBTQ community as well.
The struggle is an ongoing process and it is at a very nascent stage. To take the LGBTQ equality movement forward it will need support not just from the community but from outside as well. Every single dollar makes a huge difference in taking the cause forward. Be part of it and contribute financially as this will keep the engine ignited.
It would be foolish to expect that thousands of your years of conditioning about division, discrimination, and inequality will vanish in the few years, but your support will definitely take that small step in that direction. Your small step towards LGBTQs will help some soul get the respite and live few moments in joy. You are a good soul and your support will be of great value for the cause. It is not just about legality of right to life but right to exit honorably. I sit going to happen any time soon, maybe not but one day for sure. Your support will make it happen.