LGBT+ History Month is an important way to mark the progress the LGBTQ+ community have made, the barriers they’ve had to overcome and to look forward to the future armed with the knowledge of the past. This year, the theme is Under The Scope, focusing on the LGBTQ+ people who have been working and using medical and social care services, as well as the vastly different experiences they’ve seen throughout history while using services that are meant to be there to help.
As a social care provider, we know that even until mere decades ago people were treated differently and not given the care they need just because of their orientation or gender identity, and it is important to recognise and acknowledge the discrimination and mistreatment that people have faced so we can learn from it and move forward with the goal of never letting history repeat.
This year, we’ve been focusing on educating the allies in our teams not only on LGBT+ history in social care, but also the history of the language we use so that we can communicate better, understand types of language that may cause damage or hurt, and get better at starting conversations about the things that matter. According to a recent stonewall report, 99% of people have heard the words ‘That’s Gay’ being used to mean something negative by the time they leave school – language has power and changing that language can be a huge driver of change in the way we talk, think and treat our peers.
In the last few years, we’ve offered guidance on language, starting conversations about LGBTQ+ support in the workplace, and made it more accessible for our colleagues to change their names, titles and pronouns – because making change takes a lot more than just posting a rainbow twice a year, and our colleagues matter every day.
If you’d like to learn more about LGBT+ terms, to help educate and support others appropriately, then we’ve attached our jargon buster, created by our colleague and Pride Network member, Bee. Click on ‘A Guide to LGBT+ Terms; to download your copy.
