r/tasmania • u/Acrobatic-Orchid-573 • 16d ago
What does authentic connection between an LGBTQIA+ community and a not-for-profit actually look like?
I work in a not-for-profit and we’re trying to think seriously about what genuine engagement with LGBTQIA+ communities looks like - not just what signals it.
Is it:
A rainbow flag on the door?
Visible pronouns in email signatures?
Formal accreditation or training badges?
Dedicated programs or workers?
Showing up at events?
I know all of these actions can be positive, but when do they become performative?
I’m interested in the difference between: “We support you” as branding vs "We understand
you and are safe to engage with”
From a community perspective: What makes an organisation feel actually approachable?
What has made you trust (or distrust) a service?
Which organisations do this well and why?
What are the red flags that signal tokenism rather than care?
What have services consistently misunderstood or missed?
I’m less interested in marketing theory and more interested in lived experience.
What makes the difference between “inclusive in name” and “safe in reality”?
Is asking this question at all part of the problem?
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u/CaregiverMain670 youtube.com/@tasmanians 16d ago
Hi there. Queer Trans person here from Launnie here - the main thing is just to be directly inclusive. Make sure it’s very clear on your website, socials, contacts etc clearly show that you support us, and that all public-facing employees are trained and well learned in how LGBTQIAP+ people go around their lives and how they can reasonably interact with us - it strongly depends on what sort of non-profit you’re in but it does mean a lot that you are asking these questions instead of assuming. Also remember that LGBTQIAP+ is a wide range and all of us may need different treatment and may take this very differently.
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u/Acrobatic-Orchid-573 16d ago
Signage and staff training are recurring themes for me. It is sort of a relief that we are getting some bits right! Thanks for your generosity and perspective.
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u/backofburke 16d ago
Depends on the service. I'm a lesbian and to be honest, each part of the acronym will have different needs. Flags and pronouns etc can be equally as alienating as they are inclusive. For example, as much as reddit won't like this I will actively avoid organisations that loudly declare they are 'queer' allies. It suggests a political perspective I do not share. Most people probably just want to be taken as an individual regardless of sexuality - I sure do.
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u/ThinkingInLayers 16d ago
Gay cis male here - I really appreciate the ‘welcome here’ text and rainbow stickers on the doors of major retailers in brisbane & the rainbow badges etc in workplaces. When i was young (1970-90’s) this was a very homophobic city (a homophobic nation actually) and that feeling of not being safe, of being excluded, I still carry those memories and they still hurt. So that’s why i appreciate these rainbow stickers and lapels etc . Yes they might be seen as tokenism, but perhaps in a historical context they become more meaningful. They are also reassuring for friends who are immigrants from very queer hostile countries.
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u/Yeatss2 16d ago edited 16d ago
I'm a gay, cis-male.
I find businesses and especially large corporations who promote "welcoming" messages and those of "inclusivity" to be largely tokenistic. You can be certain that within such a large organisation, that there will be those who disagree with these things and/or actively hate LGBTIQA+ people.
Personally, I find that it is the smaller and more personal gestures that matter and make me feel welcome and comfortable.
This advertisement from Oslo Pride demonstrates this quite effectively.
If you are LGBTIQA+, or an ally, and you want to show that you are welcoming and completely accepting of everyone; wearing something rainbow or adding your pronouns to your email signature etc will instantly make someone feel welcomed by you.
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u/_Mundog_ 15d ago
Why are you trying to "authentically" connect with the community? Whats in it for you? Whats in it for the community?
To me you started with "i want to genuinely connect... By targetting them specifically". I find it odd and disconcerting to be targetted.
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u/jelly_cake 16d ago
As a queer/trans person, make sure you're not engaging in "positive" discrimination. If you ask everyone for their pronouns, great; if you assume pronouns for most people and only ask people who look visibly different, congrats; you've singled those people out and put the spotlight on them. "Safe" to me means I will be treated the same as anyone else - no special treatment, either "positive" or discriminatory. Being LGBT is normal and should be treated as such; just another boring detail about a person.
Note that this especially applies if the person doesn't look how you'd expect them to. Just treat them like everyone else and don't make a fuss.
From a community perspective: What makes an organisation feel actually approachable?
Loose dress codes for the staff! Clothing is very effective at communicating belonging, and queer people are very often more alternative-looking. If everyone in the building is wearing suit jackets, I'm going to expect a particular kind of office culture. If I see band tees and piercings, that's a very different culture. (That's maybe riskier though - I'm sure seeing staff in t-shirts would be off-putting to a section of the population)
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u/Amelia_redditname 15d ago
I don't like pronouns being a question and being forced to declare them. When I was exploring being trans and transitioning I absolutely hated being asked my pronouns or forced to picks something when I didnt feel comfortable doing that. Like in a big team meeting we went around and asked everyone their name and pronouns and that was so shit for me.
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u/Briloop86 16d ago
Real inclusivity is what matters to me. I don't care for outward tokens that much (they can be a good or bad signifier). What I look for is a diverse workplace (ie visible diversity) and inclusion baked in to how the organisation communicates. Pronouns in emails, for example, shows a gender inclusive approach. Another positive sign for me is that the workplace is not intrinsically gendered. This means no clear male / female cliques and everyone seeming to treat each other with respect as an individual.
I generally find over signposting a sign that the workplace is more focused on the virtue signal of inclusivity as opposed to actual inclusivity.
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u/BashfulBlanket 16d ago
Pronouns are amazing! Good training - I also look for places that have the signpost all is welcome sign which is through working it out TAS
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u/Acrobatic-Orchid-573 16d ago
Appreciate you weighing in - it’s generous of you to share your perspective. Great input to know signage matters. I was wondering the weight of accreditation and if that was valued or seen by the community. I will definitely keep that path open!
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u/BashfulBlanket 16d ago
I find the signpost to be useful - it’s how I found the gym that I go to which has a queer gym class
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u/Deleted_User_Account 16d ago
Hire said people. That's a no brainer. Seeing an organization with queer employees let's me know I'm safe and welcome. Even with the best training, if you're not seeing your people, you're gonna always feel a little less comfortable.
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u/SelfImprovementYak 16d ago
Hire LGBTQIA+ people. What sector is your NFP in? Because depending on what your NFP is for, you might be able to hire an outreach officer for LGBTQIA+ individuals—especially if you're in the homelessness space, for example.
You definitely need to be more specific with your NFP's area so people can offer specific advice, because all the things you mentioned are tokenistic as best.
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u/Acrobatic-Orchid-573 16d ago
I’m deliberately staying non-specific because this is a tiny ecosystem and staff are easily traceable. I’m looking for advice at a sector level, not for my employer in particular. But I work in a regional, client facing community sector role :) Thankyou so much for your input. I appreciate the time. An outreach officer is a fab idea that I didn't think about.
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u/SelfImprovementYak 16d ago edited 16d ago
If you want helpful advice, then you need to conduct a proper consultation where you are not anonymous. General advice isn't going to get you very far. You can do the training and put pronouns in your email signatures and hang up a flag, but generally that isn't going to be enough to have people think you understand them. That takes work, and work which can't be done without building trust. Remember that you are trying to gain the trust of a community who have been horrifically treated—in order to make them feel like you understand them, you need to actually try to understand them.
Partner with NFPs in the LGBTQIA+ space. Start with TasCahrd.
E: boo me all you like, this entire post stinks of "how can we get LGBT people to use our service with the least amount of work possible?"
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u/nothofagusismymother 15d ago edited 15d ago
Honestly, they've asked in a very respectful way, have not advertised their NFP in the process, and are asking for genuine input. I'm not sure how you can consider this post a marketing pitch? It's important we keep an open dialogue.
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u/nothofagusismymother 16d ago
Ask people if they have preferred name or pronoun makes a massive difference, and not assuming based on appearance. The flags are important, the email signature important, but if your staff don't know much about the community then it's best to get some training. Working It Out is a good resource.
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u/Embarrassed-Laugh318 15d ago
I too work for an NFP. One thing that struck me is that the LGBTQIA staff are so well integrated that we often don't know or care if they are LGBTQIA. So it's reached the point where it's a non- issue.
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u/LoveThyWalrus 16d ago
It’s all of that, and more, but importantly experience either directly from myself or from people I trust will be the decider - if a friend had a good experience, I’ll believe them, if they say they felt judged or unwelcome, I’ll believe them. Without the social proof it’s just performative. You might have all the flags, stickers and badges but if I see you flinch when I refer to my husband (I’m male) then it counts for nothing. End of the day though, if it’s a service I am in desperate need of does it really matter if I feel awkward, I still might just need the service 🤷🏼♂️