IDAHOBLIT 2023: Lived Experiences
Interviews
In honor of IDAHOBLIT (the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Lesbophobia and Transphobia), myGwork hosted a panel with various LGBTQ+ professionals to discuss the impact queerphobia has had on them. With speakers from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences, everyone involved shared their stories with an admirable resilience. As well as being graciously honest about their encounters with LGBTQ-phobic attitudes, they also offer advice to individuals experiencing hostility, hoping to inspire workplaces to monitor potential discriminative behavior and take necessary action.
Image Credit: Canva
Panel host Harriet Lunney, Senior Customer Success Manager at myGwork, opened the discussion with an introduction to IDAHOBLIT and its history. Describing its inception in May 1990 as a way to commemorate the removal of homosexuality from the World Health Organizations classification of a disease, she brought up the reasons why it’s still as important as ever to mark this special occasion.
“Over the last few years, we have seen headlines across the world indicating an increase in LGBTQ+ hate crimes,” Harriet stated. “Last week the Rainbow Map Index was released by ILG Europe, which ranks all 49 European nations on their legal and policy situation with regards to LGBTQ+ rights. The UK once again dropped down this list. We were 14th in 2022 and we’re now 17th. ILG Europe has stated that this is due to anti-trans rhetoric and that hate crimes rates in the UK have been described as reaching dramatic numbers.”
Zoe Megins-Davies, Venue Consultant at ARUP, discussed the shift in societal perceptions, and how damaging the negative rhetoric currently used against the transgender community is. They call for a better understanding of gender identity as a way to combat such a harmful narrative.
“Quite frankly, we’re in an extremely hostile environment for trans people. Addressing that is an absolute priority. Acknowledging that we need self-ID, we need to trust people that they know themselves and their identities. Understanding that they are entirely natural, and that gender is a social construct. Whenever we speak about identity, we need to do it in a nuanced way.”
Joel Fisher, Working Capital, Cash and Liquidity Manager at EY, spoke about the dynamics in sub-communities within the overall LGBTQ+ spectrum. Referencing his position of privilege compared to other communities that are not as well-represented, he spoke about how he uses occasions like IDAHOBLIT to dedicate time to reflecting on how he can help uplift marginalized voices.
“There are so many diverse groups within our community,” said Joel. “As part of IDAHOBLIT, I’m thinking as a gay man whose rights are better protected than others, how can I do more to help those communities that maybe haven’t been given as much visibility within the recent rhetoric of the LGBTQ+ community?”
Yassine Senghor, Director of Confronting Change, also placed a spotlight on maintaining an intersectional approach to discussing queerphobia. She pointed out that many people, including herself, find themselves associating the LGBTQ+ community with being white. She described how it is important to unpack this through self-reflection and education.
“We need to take a pause and reflect on why we automatically associate being LGBTQ+ and being queer with whiteness,” said Yassine. “That takes a lot of deep self-reflection, and a lot of unlearning, but also learning our histories. Even going back to Stonewall, we can see the black, trans people who were involved in the start of our modern-day queer movements. Even beyond that, learning about how LGBTQ+ identities have existed globally throughout history and have formed some of the freedoms we have today.”
It was pointed out by Marion Bentata, Chief Administrative Officer at State Street, that intersectionality is not necessarily becoming more important, but that conversations surrounding it are playing a larger role in society. Talking through the “awakening” that many people are experiencing, she discussed how vital changes are taking place.
“We talk more about intersectionality these days because we have finally found the courage to have conversations around the social structures of oppression. Part of the population is going through an awakening which has led them to realize that they need to use their privilege to champion others if they want to create a level playing field for everyone.”
Towards the end of the panel, Marcelo Figueiredo e Silva, Diversity Equity and Inclusion Manager at Greenhouse Software revealed what message he would give his younger self, also providing advice to those who are struggling with their identity. His optimistic outlook caused some of the panel to become emotional, as he touched on a few details all-too relatable to many in the LGBTQ+ community.
“Some days won’t be easy. It’s a crazy journey, but it’s worth it,” encouraged Marcelo. “Remember that you are loved, that you have the power in your hands, and know that you deserve to be happy. Don’t be ashamed to show who you are, keep being curious, caring and happy. There’s a bright future ahead. Have conversations and listen to other points of view, but don’t let anybody say that your identity is wrong.”
You can connect with all of the participants from the IDAHOBLIT 2023 panel via their myGwork page. Watch the full panel discussion below, or by clicking here.
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