Jana Rich’s Post

Alloy celebrates #pride all year long. 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ Meet some of the members of our LGBTQ+ employee resource group (ERG) in the video below. To learn more about what the ERG is up to, check out a new blog post from the group's leader, Ariana Longoria, here: https://lnkd.in/ef48hXza

June is Pride Month! Estate planning is critical for everyone: single, married, straight and LGBTQ. However, for the LGBTQ community, estate planning provides protections to help guard against discrimination when people are reluctant to recognize your relationship, even if you are married. Continue reading here: https://lnkd.in/g7np75EJ

That’s how you do it.

At yesterday's West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce luncheon, leaders from five statewide LGBTQ+ organizations shared perspectives and strategies on how employers and community members might support a more diverse and inclusive workforce & workplace. Thanks to Iowa Safe Schools, Des Moines Gay Men's Chorus, One Iowa, and Capital City Pride. And special recognition to panelist (and my friend/colleague) Dan Jansen, who serves as Board Chair of the Iowa LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce. Curious to hear any of your thoughts, ideas, and experiences in the comments below: 1) How is your company fostering diversity and/or inclusion? 2) How are you or others in your organization championing inclusivity in aspects of work culture? 3) What initiatives have you found to be effective?

In this episode, the folks at Together Equal and I chat and take a deep dive into LGBTQ+ representation in marketing and media. We explore under-represented groups, balancing profit with social good, and how we, as consumers, can drive change. Finally, we tackle pink-washing, celebrate diversity wins, and define what makes a true LGBTQIA+ ally. Andrew Milne, Sarah Aird-Mash Pink Media https://lnkd.in/eKynVPBc

Just in time for the end of 🌈 Pride Month, our friends at LGBTQ+ Victory Institute released their 2024 "Out for America" report. It is packed with insightful stats and data visualizations. We're happy to share it while highlighting a few notable findings: • Every state (plus Washington, D.C.) has at least one out LGBTQ+ elected official serving, totaling at least 1,303 LGBTQ+ elected officials nationwide. • Along with the good news, a caveat: At least 38,193 more LGBTQ+ people must be elected to achieve equitable representation. • Of particular interest to our mission: There are currently 235 LGBTQ+ state lawmakers (and only Louisiana, West Virginia and Idaho have no out legislators). Follow LGBTQ+ Victory Institute or go to https://lnkd.in/ehJwd25S to access the full report Of course, we acknowledge we must keep fighting for justice and fairness, but we also welcome this opportunity to celebrate milestones of progress. 🌈 Happy Pride!

Next week is Fiber Broadband Association’s annual Fiber Connect. I am not going for two reasons. 1) FL in August vs Maine in August. But more importantly 2) FL is a state that openly, actively, aggressively discriminates against LGBTQ and minorities. What kind of inclusive message does an industry this big trying to be diverse say when the state selected for your annual conference openly says “We don’t want you here. You are not safe here.” Same with Broadband Communities and Connected America holding conferences in Texas. Lots of states more welcoming to diversity have conference facilities. Come on Broadband Industry. Be better. Do better.

Ally is a verb. Being an ally means actively learning, advocating, and speaking up for your LGBTQ+ loved ones. It's never too late to be an active ally! To start or continue being an ally, check out our resources at: pflag.org/find-resources

ALLY IS A VERB People often hate very loudly so we need to make our love louder. I have a pin on my lanyard at work and a plaque in my office that denotes a safe space for someone’s full identity. Some people don’t understand why, they think it’s perfomative. But it’s not. Working in suicide prevention for 9 years I’ve met so many people personally and professionally who are in crisis as a result of feeling unsafe sharing who they are . Some of them we’ve lost to suicide before they let anyone know they we’re struggling. If you’d like more info on actively supporting the LGBTQIA2S in your community please check out PFLAG’s website. Let this be your reminder to love loudly. Let your love be as random as the hate. “You are a cute couple” “I love seeing how much joy is in your family “ “My pronouns are she/her what are yours” It’s intervening when you hear discriminatory comments around you. It’s about becoming the educator to ignorance because as a heterosexual cisgender woman it’s safer for me to stand up and confront hatred than a person whose identity is under attack . I’d rather a million uncomfortable conversations that I “ don’t have the energy for “ or “ isn’t aimed at you so why do you care so much “ than have someone suffer in silence due to unnecessary and often uneducated opinions rooted in fear of “the other.” I have quite a few people in my circle that I’ve had the honour and privilege to be stand in family for , and while the need makes me sad , I’m happy to expand my family because love doesn’t cost me anything. It’s gained me amazing people in my life. If you want help finding some support or resources your community shoot me a message or a comment and I’ll do my best to find you support in your community. You aren’t alone in this. Wherever you are in your journey please be assured that there are people that do love you for who you are and we are so grateful you are in our lives. #lgbtqinclusion #allyship #loveislove #foundfamily #creatingbettertogether #communityempowerment #suicideprevention #mentalwellbeing #allyisaverb #advocacy #calltoaction

Panel: Drawing Queer People for Queer People: Joined by Alison Sampson, Becca Farrow, and Jacoby Salcedo. Insights on the struggles and the positive changes being seen over time. Also an amazing conversation around how you think through creating LGBTQ and non binary characters with "signals" and as in dialog. Brilliant.