Communicators Can Help Promote LGBTQ+ Equality In and Out of Work. Here’s How.
Communicators Can Help Promote LGBTQ+ Equality In and Out of Work
From ourselves to our communities, communicators can lead change.
Whether you’re an in-house PR pro or work for an agency, whether you’re working for a Fortune 100 company or a governmental agency, you’re almost certain to handle topics of deep importance to the LGBTQ+ community — and not just during Pride month.
If you yourself are a member of that community, that work is doubly personal, a charge to be your authentic self while navigating waters that are often still treacherous.
As part of The Museum of PR’s recent “LGBTQ Rights On the Line: The Role of Communicators Advocating for Equality” event, five LGBTQ+ communications pros came together to discuss what the communications industry owes to the cause of equality — and to each other.
The responses highlighted the challenges and opportunities that communicators, especially those in the queer community, have in creating a more just world for people of all identities and orientations.
Understanding intersectionality
The diverse panel talked at length about the need for intersectionality — or recognizing where the interests of multiple marginalized and underrepresented groups meet — in communications about LGBTQ+ topics.
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“The gay movement can often feel very white and mainstream … I think we should be honest about that. And it often feels like AAPI, folks, black folks and Latino folks are often left out,” said Jared DeWese, deputy director for communications for climate and energy forThird Way. DeWese said his visible identity as a Black man intersects with his invisible identity as a gay man.
