As a result of the increasing impact of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and rhetoric, PrideVMC is receiving many inquiries on how to make events within the veterinary space as inclusive and safe as possible for the LGBTQ+ veterinary community, with emphasis on our gender-expansive friends and colleagues. Please review the action steps and resources below and let us know if you have any questions. We are here to help and look forward to supporting your efforts.
- Review the ACLU anti-LGBTQ+ legislation to understand your local landscape as well as what is happening in states in which you host events. (additional resources listed below)
- If your workplace or event is being held in an unsafe city or state, relocate if possible to a safer location.
- Plan future events in locations that are inclusive and as safe as possible for LGBTQ+ and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) attendees, speakers, and staff.
- If it is not possible to relocate an existing event, take the following steps:
- Provide gender-neutral restrooms at all event venues.
- Many convention centers will convert existing restrooms to gender-neutral upon request simply by changing the signage.
- This does not decrease the number of available restrooms as all attendees may utilize gender-neutral restrooms.
- Many convention centers will convert existing restrooms to gender-neutral upon request simply by changing the signage.
- Create an option for including pronouns on event name badges by including an optional free text entry line in the registration process.
- Providing pronoun badge ribbons is a nice idea, however, it is challenging to provide ribbons for all of the pronoun options that exist.
- Offering attendees to include their pronouns on the name badges negates the need for pronoun badge ribbons.
- Encourage presenters to have their pronouns by their names on their intro slide and to introduce themselves with their pronouns
- Offer virtual attendance options for speakers (and ideally attendees) so that those that do not feel safe participating in person.
- Have a safety plan in place for those that disrupt or harass speakers and ensure all speakers and moderators are aware of the plan including where they can find immediate support.
- Provide gender-neutral restrooms at all event venues.
- If you have not already done so, read and become an organizational signatory of the Gender Identity Bill of Rights (GIBOR). This communicates to your team members and potential attendees that you are working hard to be and/or become as inclusive as possible. If you are one of the 257 organizations that have already signed on, thank you!
- Become familiar with all of the veterinary affinity organizations and leverage their events and resources to educate yourself and your team.
If your organization and your events are inclusive then your team members, attendees, and speakers will feel that they belong. They will be more inclined to participate in your events, and tell their friends to do the same.
Resources
AAVMC Conference/Symposia DEIW Assessment Tool
ACLU Anti-LGBTQ+ Legislation Tracker
Gender Identity Bill of Rights (GIBOR)
HRC Declares State of Emergency
Map: Attacks on Gender Affirming Care by State (HRC)
National Center for Transgender Equality – State Action Center
NAACP Issues Travel Advisory for Florida
Proactive Personal Pronoun Use: Creating a Culture of Inclusion
