Inclusion Needs to Work For Everyone

Over the past year, the kinds of conversations we’ve been having with organizations, teams, communities and even friends and family around 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion have been changing. 

Around the world there has been a noticeable increase in tension and everyone is feeling it; Many members of the queer community are living under a heavy spotlight, with their lives, rights and even their ability to access public spaces being scrutinized in the political sphere that inevitably shapes public perception. When public figures make strong and misleading statements about 2SLGBTQIA+ people, those messages don’t stay contained to politics, but filter outwards, into everyday conversations, shaping the questions people are asking and the assumptions they may be bringing into workplaces, communities and relationships.

Allies are feeling this moment too; for many, there is a growing sense that this is the time to stand up for 2SLGBTQIA+ people more visibly and actively than before. At the same time, it can be incredibly difficult to know what that should look like when the scale of what is happening feels so overwhelming. 

Organizations are having to balance the reality that many members of their workplace are sharing in these broader societal tensions - 2SLGBTQIA+ people are working alongside both allies and people who may feel uncertain about, or even resistant to, inclusion efforts, and organizations have to find a way to help people continue working together in ways that feel respectful and workable, so that teams can focus on doing their jobs.

Awareness days, such as International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) on May 17th, can be really powerful moments for organizations to pause and acknowledge the impact of this tension, while also reaffirming their commitments to 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion - not to ignore or shy away from those tensions, but to hold those commitments clearly while still meeting people where they are in their understanding.

One of the hardest things to navigate is how to talk about and implement necessary inclusion work without it slipping into a zero-sum framing. Supporting one group does not mean disadvantaging another, yet it can easily be experienced that way if change is not introduced thoughtfully. Introducing new practices or structures can sometimes feel like familiar ones are being taken away, and even well-intentioned shifts can land as abrupt or unsettling if people are not given space to understand what is being added and why. In our work at TransFocus, we spend a great deal of time helping organizations approach inclusion as an expansion of options, rather than a replacement of them.

For most 2SLGBTQIA+ people, the goal is not to dismantle every existing structure overnight or to disregard the needs of others in order to meet our own. It is to create additional pathways that allow 2SLGBTQIA+ people to move through workplaces, services and social environments with greater safety and dignity - to increase the range of options available, rather than removing the ones people already rely on. 

This might mean having the opportunity to share pronouns without making it mandatory. It might mean ensuring access to all-gender washrooms, while recognizing that some people will continue to prefer gender-specific spaces. It might mean developing more thoughtful ways to respond to mistakes so that moments of harm can also become moments of learning and continued connection, rather than immediate escalation and pushback. 

When inclusion is framed as widening possibilities, it becomes easier for people to see themselves as part of the change rather than feeling pushed to the margins by it. Connection plays an important role here; reducing homophobia, biphobia and transphobia is not only about introducing new policies or calling out harmful behaviour, but also about creating the conditions where people can stay engaged and open long enough for understanding to develop.

It becomes much harder to have the kinds of conversations that allow perspectives to shift over time when interactions are immediately shaped by pressure or defensiveness. This doesn’t mean avoiding difficult moments or stepping back from addressing harm, but it does invite us to recognize that sustainable inclusion requires a balance between being clear about expectations and remaining curious about where people are starting from, and between maintaining momentum while staying attuned to the realities people are navigating.

This is something we are intentionally creating space for in our upcoming IDAHOBIT sessions at TransFocus. These sessions focus on helping teams better understand the historical context of IDAHOBIT and the realities many trans and 2SLGBTQIA+ people are currently navigating. In a moment where public narratives can give the impression that inclusion efforts are about pushing others out, creating opportunities to hear directly about lived experience can play an important role in building shared understanding.

During sessions facilitated by TransFocus, there is also an opportunity for employees to contribute reflections or experiences anonymously, helping move the conversation beyond abstract debates. By creating space for storytelling, participants are often able to recognise that these realities are affecting real people within their own workplace or community. We have seen time and time again how this can become a meaningful bridge of empathy, particularly for those who may feel uncertain about how to engage.

At a time when public conversations can feel increasingly divided, there is real value in coming together to deepen understanding of how we arrived at this moment and what thoughtful support can look like moving forward. If your team is looking for ways to engage with IDAHOBIT this year that help people stay connected while building understanding of why inclusion efforts matter, we invite you to learn more about our upcoming sessions here.