3 minute read
A Quick Guide to LGBTQ+ Inclusion
Not Just for Pride Month!
By no means an exhaustive list, but a good place to start!
Every organization, whether it realizes it or not, contains a diverse multitude of personalities, sexualities, and gender identities. As society becomes more welcoming, the number of people in this community grows with each new generation.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but rather some things to keep in mind. Cultivating thoughtful language is a core part of making our club a welcoming, inclusive space.
The Singular They.
We use it every day, but did you know that the singular they was used as far back as Shakespeare? It's very useful to use the singular they in daily life to avoid making assumptions about gender.
Use Inclusive Language on all Communications
Instead of saying "Ladies and Gentleman" or "Boys and Girls", try some inclusive alternatives like: folks, friends, pilots, air aficionados, members, etc.
Use the name and gender a person provides you.
Deliberately using the wrong name or pronoun for someone is a jerk move by all accounts.
Can't remember their pronoun? Use their name!
Not sure of a person's pronoun or gender identity? Use their name instead! It's really that easy.
What if someone changes their name or pronoun?
People change all the time--especially their names! Just use the new one!
But what if I make a mistake?
Mistakes happen. Take a breath, self-correct, and try again. Effort matters and we guarantee that the person noticed that you took the time to try.
There's often a bit of confusion as to what each part of LGBTQ+ represents, so here's a Quick List of LGBTQ+ Definitions to help you out:
Gay: a term for a person whose physical, emotional, or romantic attractions are to people of the same sex. Lesbian: often the preferred term for a gay woman. Bisexual: a person whose attractions are to either their own gender or to another gender. There are many degrees of bisexuality. See also: pansexuality, the attraction to all genders or regardless of gender. Asexual: a person who doesn't feel sexual attraction or has a low/absent interest in or desire for sexual activity. There are many shades of asexuality, including demi-, grey-sexual, and more, and all are perfectly fine and normal. A person can also be aromantic, meaning they do not experience romantic attraction. Queer: a catch-all adjective for those are either not exclusively heterosexual or cisgender. Formerly derogatory, the word has been reclaimed and is particularly popular among younger people. Intersex: An umbrella term describing people born with reproductive or sexual anatomy and/or a chromosome pattern that can't be classified as typically male or female. Transgender: An umbrella term for people whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. There are many terms used, so default to whatever term is preferred by each person. A trans person may or may not seek medical or surgical means to bring their body into alignment with their gender identity. Indeed, some feel that such changes are irrelevant to who they really are. Cisgender: someone whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth. Cis is shorthand for this. Non-binary/Genderqueer: a person who does not feel that their gender identity falls neatly into the strictly defined categories of man or woman. As such, there are many different ways to be non-binary. Note: neither term is a synonym for trans.
There are many resources available online if you'd like to learn more! Here are some great ones: • GLAAD | glaad.org • LGBT YouthLine | youthline.ca/ • The Trevor Project | thetrevorproject.org • Egale Canada | egale.ca • The Human Rights Campaign | www.hrc.org • Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity (CCGSD) | ccgsd-ccdgs.org/
