How to Support LGBTQIA+ People After the Election Results (and Beyond)

Dear straight-led organizations and nonprofit leaders,

The election results are not in favor of any LGBTQIA+ person, no matter who they voted for. The new administration has already promised bans, restrictions, repeals, and attacks against Queer people across the nation. There is a dark clound suffocating the light of our community. Transgender people are asking the horrifying question “Should I de-transition to save myself?” Pure terror. We must find our community now and keep them close, and prepare for what’s to come. The LGBTQIA+ community has historically fought our battles for ourselves, and we need our straight allies and siblings now more than ever.

Here’s what you can do as leaders in the nonprofit sector, and as individuals in your community:

For Organizations

1. Book a Training
   
   The first step is understanding and comprehension. LGBTQIA+ cultural competency is the best way for your organization, your leaders, and your employees to learn about how to best understand and protect and uplift the Queer people who benefit from your mission. Spoiler alert: there are some, whether you know it or not.

   Trainings can be customized to meet your organization’s specific needs and circumstances and will go a long way in demonstrating your commitment to the continuous journey of being inclusive and welcoming.
   

1. Revisit Your Organization & Employee Policies
   
   Create and update your protections now. Be proactive. We cannot afford allies who are reactive. Make sure your written policies and procedures are documented using inclusive language. Are LGBTQIA+ people seeing your job descriptions? Are your employees protected against discrimination of sexual orientation, gender identity, sexual characteristics, and gender expression? How welcoming are your onboarding procedures for new staff, volunteers, and board members? Does the data you collect include the LGBTQIA+ community? These questions and many more need to be answered and addressed or your organization will come off as phony.
   

2. Conduct an Employee & Board Demographic Census
   
   Do you even know if you have LGBTQIA+ employees and board members? Are they comfortable self-identifying? It’s important for an organization to have this knowledge so that you can better serve your teams and better reflect your demographics in grant applications. If nothing else convinces an organization leader, a key driver of innovation, diverse teams produce 19% more revenue than less diverse teams. You need to start with the end in mind — you want LGBTQIA+ staff and board members? You need to understand where you stand first so you can create a clear path of where you need to go.
   

3. Recruit Queer Board Members
   
   If you have a census of your board, whether you conduct one or not, and you don’t have a single Queer board member…yikes. Organizations who wish to engage the LGBTQIA+ community in any capacity need to have Queer people on their board. Without them, your organization is being governed through the lens of heterosexual people — people who will never fully understand the LGBTQIA+ experience. This is especially important for nonprofits — we serve underserved and marginalized communities. The LGBTQIA+ community is at an intersection of disparities. You need Queer board members before you can start raising money from Queer people.
   

4. Continue Hosting Events & Fundraisers
   
   We are Queer all year long, not just in June. We cannot afford to wait for your allyship until then. Support us. Uplift us. Pay us. Pride exists every month. If you’re not located directly in a large metropolis, it’s likely there is a local Pride festival in your area which is hosted outside the month of June. I worked for two LGBT community center and each hosted their own Pride festival in August and October. The state of Pennsylvania has Pride festivals from April through October! Book vendor booths at your region’s festival throughout the year. Queer people will you see there. They will notice. We need more allies.
   
   And if you host your own Pride events and fundraisers, do them outside of Pride Month too. Host them in collaboration with your region’s Pride festivals. Doing this is one of the most significant forms of allyship because 1) you’re recognizing that Pride is all year, and 2) you’re a nonqueer Ally putting in the work!

For Individuals

1. Support Queer Artists & Businesses
   
   Perhaps one of the most underrepresented and underpaid communities is Queer artists and and small businesses. Show your support now. Buy all your holiday gifts from Queer people. Promote the social media efforts of a LGBTQIA+ artist whenever you can. Refer your friends and family to support them too. In this time of darkness, we need more Queer Joy and vibrancy than ever before.
   

2. Take Inventory of Where Your Money is Spent
   
   And while we are talking about where your money goes, make sure you aren’t supporting outright anti-LGBTQIA+ organizations, movements, and initiatives. A little goes a long way, and intention is one of our greatest allies. Delete your X account. Give up the idea of purchasing a Tesla. Be intentional and mindful. What you’re not changing, you’re choosing.
   

3. Attend Regional Pride Festivals
   
   As mentioned above, many Pride festivals are hosted outside of the month of June. As someone who has worked for two LGBT community organizations on opposite Coasts, I know that the smaller Prides cannot compete with the large metropolitan festivals. It’s also cheaper to book entertainment outside of June and brings our expenses down. So, look up your local Prides, even those within an hour or two, grab your best Judys, and make a road trip plan! Simply showing up to a festival is so important, especially for smaller Prides.
   
   These smaller Pride festivals are likely located in or near deep red cities or counties. We cannot back down. We will not succumb to their fearmongering. Show up for your smalltown Prides!!!
   

4. Continue the Conversations (Especially the Uncomfortable Ones)
   
   The LGBTQIA+ community has historically stood up for itself — Stonewall Riots, HIV epidemic, Trans rights — but we also need allies to stand up for us, especially when we are not in the room. Defending against discrimination in the workplace is perhaps one of the most uncomfortable situations a person can be in, whether it’s correcting someone on the proper pronoun usage or combating harassment. LGBTQIA+ people are vulnerable and need allies who are willing to have the difficult conversations with people who simply don’t understand or are intentionally malicious. Fighting the small fights will prevent the flames from fanning further. Be a wet blanket on homophobia, transphobia, racism, and bigotry.
   

5. Be an Advocate
   
   Advocate for more inclusive and welcoming systems and practices in your social life (friend groups), at family gatherings (!!!), and definitely at work. When advocacy comes from people outside the LGBTQIA+ community, it carries more weight (though it shouldn’t). Nothing is stronger than our collective voices singing in unison for the same justice.
   
   At the same time, take care of yourself! Don’t put yourself in unsafe situations. Your safety and well-being come first. Gather a support group to face a siutation if needed.

Granted, this is only a list of 10 intentional practices you can implement in your personal and professional life. Allyship goes much further and way deeper, and lasts a lifetime (seriously). Queer For Hire provides trainings, assessments, planning, and delivery to help nonprofits engage the LGBTQIA+ community through hiring, board recruitment, and fundraising, and provides fundraising support to Queer nonprofits who need help. We’ve been there, done that, and we’re here for you.

Sincerely,

Queers

Queer For Hire provides fundraising support and LGBTQIA+ diversity training for nonprofits, professionals, and corporations.

Learn about our Fundraising Services <here> – we’ll lead or support your fundraising efforts, whether you need general support or want to focus on raising money from and for the LGBTQIA+ community.

Learn about our Fundraising Trainings <here> – we can coach your board, staff, and fundraising team on how to fundraise and how to engage LGBTQIA+ donors.

Learn about our other services <here> or our resources <here>.