Janie Romine remembers the time she was counseled by
administrators against openly talking about her gay son with her colleagues.
It taught her a valuable lesson: the workplace is not
inclusive and supportive by default.
“That was a glaring example of discrimination of just me as
a straight woman that loves her children and holds an affirming view,” she
said. “When I next interviewed, I knew I didn’t want to go forward again if I
couldn’t openly support the queer community.”
Now she wears her rainbow lanyard proudly at a local Hilton
hotel, which she said is a LGBTQIA+-friendly employer.
LGBTQIA+ is an umbrella term to describe anyone who
identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, asexual, transgender, intersex,
non-binary, genderfluid, genderqueer and even questioning.
Romine is a parent,
first and foremost, but she’s also a vocal advocate for equipping local
employers with the communication tools and skills they need to create a safe
and inclusive workplace for LGBTQIA+ employees, their families and the
community.
As the president of Benton and Franklin chapter of PFLAG
(which stands for Parents and Friends of Lesbian and Gays), she volunteers her
time holding panel discussions, workshops and role-playing activities on
workplace inclusivity. The group holds about three or four training sessions a
month.
“We are mental health professionals, registered clinicians
and leaders sharing our journey,” Romine said. “I’m the proud mom of two gay
children.”
She said she encourages employers to be upfront about their
policies on inclusion during the hiring process so co-workers know what is and
isn’t allowed and to promote a safe space for the queer community with
respectful, allied co-workers.
“It’s just a conversation you have to have upfront, and you
need the courage to have that conversation. Their workplace is going to be much
stronger,” Romine said.
“Nobody should have to live their life in fear of losing
their employment,” she added.
The Washington state Law Against Discrimination sets forth
strict protections against discrimination based on gender expression, actual or
perceived gender identity, and sexual orientation.
This includes discrimination in
places such as restaurants, hotels and public schools, housing, employments,
and credit and insurance transactions.
Currently no statutory federal
laws protect LGBTIA+ individuals against sexual orientation or gender identity
discrimination in the workplace. Some examples that the U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission views as unlawful sex discrimination include failing to
hire an applicant because of their given or chosen gender, firing an employee
for gender transition, denying an employee equal access to restrooms, denying
employee promotion because of sexual orientation, or failing to use preferred
pronouns.
Katie Banks, a professor of
political science, communication and leadership at WSU Tri-Cities, said she
encourages local employers to express their pronouns in support.
Last year, Banks gave a talk on
“The ABCs of LGBTQIA+ in the Workplace” at the Tri-Cities Diversity Summit,
organized by the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce, in October. She also
serves as an organizer for the WSU Tri-Cities’ annual Social Justice Institute
and chairs the WSU President’s Commission for Gender Identity/Expression and
Sexual Orientation.
“If you want to show you’re an
ally business and that you’re inclusive, ask people what pronouns they prefer
to use and state your preferred pronouns yourself,” Banks said. “Most people
don’t come out during the interview process.”
In fact, she said 40 percent of
LBTQIA+ employees aren’t comfortable being “out” in the workplace. Of those who
do come out, 35 percent face discrimination, she said.
Romine said she regularly
emphasizes the important of pronouns and the importance of using the person’s
chosen name in communications.
“It’s a wounding thing for
someone who is transgendered to be misgendered,” Romine said.
During her recent Diversity
Summit talk, Banks discussed the importance of inclusion in the workplace. She
said that according to research there is a 25 percent increase in individual
productivity and a 35 percent increase in team productivity in an inclusive
workplace.
“You’re better at retaining
minority employees and recruiting diverse talent which has been shown to lead
to innovation, better understanding of problems and ability to tackle the
solution,” Banks said.
Banks said gender identity is
fluid and the language surrounding it is iterative — workplace training from 10
years ago may be badly outdated today.
“There is new language in this
field, like ‘enby,’ which is short for non-binary, and is language that is only
two or three years old,” Banks said.
Non-binary refers to people who
don’t neatly fit into the categories of “man” or “woman,” as they may have a
gender that blends elements of both, a gender that is different than either
male or female, or they don’t identify with any gender, according to the
National Center for Transgender Equality.
To position a business as a
partner and ally to the LGBTQIA+ community, both to future employees and
customers, Banks said even small tokens of solidarity matter — like putting
LGBTQIA+ friendly stickers on a door or shop window.
For a LGBTQIA+-friendly
workplace, “have inclusive and family-oriented staff events that include
different versions of partners or spouses,” Banks said.
Jay Chavez, manager at Out and
About — the only gay club in the Tri-Cities — and coordinator of Tri-Cities
Pride, said local businesses like Free Culture Clothing, HAPO Community Credit
Union, Numerica Credit Union, Adventures Underground, Castle Megastore,
Tumbleweird, Brother’s Cheesesteaks and Chikibaby Boutique have been supportive
of the local LGBTQIA+ community.
Banks said having written non-discrimination and inclusion policies is important.
“It is useful to have your
company statement or strategic plan a company’s goals on diversity, inclusion
and cultural competency,” Banks said.
Both Banks and PFLAG are available for workplace onsite training on LGBTQIA+ inclusion. For more information on PFLAG, search for PFLAG Benton Franklin on Facebook. The group also holds monthly support events the second Tuesday of every month at Fuse in the Richland Parkway.