Sarah Cable, ACCP
Content Manager
Happy Pride Month 2020! While Pride parades have been cancelled, there is no shortage of socially distanced rainbow celebrations. For the first time in history, there will be a global 24-hour virtual Pride, bringing together LGBTQIA+ people from around the world.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the LGBTQIA+ community is unique: for many, the unknown aspects echo the AIDS Crisis. It is expected that COVID-19 will more harshly impact LGBTQIA+ people, due in part to major gaps in workplace healthcare coverage. According to the Human Rights Campaign, 17% of LGBTQIA+ adults and 22% of transgender adults do not have health insurance. Many companies’ health insurance plans still do not cover same-sex partners.
Many people and companies are rethinking how to best support their employees during this pandemic. This is the perfect chance to move on from marching in a Pride parade to instead doing something truly impactful for the LGBTQIA+ community through this crisis and into the future. At ACCP, we celebrate pride all year long with our Member LGBTQIA+ Community.
Here are five easy actions you can take to ensure your company is supporting LGBTQIA+ employees today and every day of the year!
- Advocate that your company not only march in a Pride parade, but they work to improve the lives of LGBTQIA+ employees every day of the year.
- Add your pronouns to your email signature. Just seeing that makes your LGBTQIA+ peers feel welcome.
- Work to change your own and your employee’s terminology – in paperwork, give more than two gender options; instead of saying ‘welcome ladies and gentlemen’, say ‘welcome all’.
- Create a LGBTQIA+ and Allies employee resource group. Start out with a virtual lunch or happy hour.
- Understand your employer’s benefits coverage and advocate for equality – do health/bereavement benefits cover same-sex partners? Gender transition related treatment?
Happy Pride!
This is the first in a series of blog posts ACCP will be sharing in June, recognizing Pride month.
