How to actively support the LGBTQ+ community and avoid rainbow washing

By Indeed Editorial Team

The last Friday of August is Wear it Purple day, which recognises the unique challenges experienced by young people in the LGBTQ+ community. An Australian initiative, it was established in 2010 and is now celebrated worldwide. The day is a great opportunity to reflect on how we can support and empower young people of diverse sexualities and genders.

But it got us thinking. We wanted to know what organisations can do to be better allies to their rainbow colleagues – not just on certain days, but every day. So, we asked Chris Keely, Deputy Director of Pride Inclusion Programs at the AIDS Council of New South Wales (ACON) about how we can take meaningful action and avoid empty gestures.

ACON is the state’s leading community health organisation specialising in HIV responses and promoting inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community. It does important work to find more innovative ways to meet the health needs of people of diverse genders and sexualities, which includes creating more inclusive workplaces through its Pride in Diversity program.

Inequality persists

“Young people are some of the most vulnerable and powerless in our communities,” says Chris. “They are economically dependent on others, lack decision making opportunities and lack representation. They need all the support they can get to feel proud of themselves.”

So how do we give these young people the support they need? According to Chris, it’s about creating a safe environment where they are embraced for being their true selves. “Many LGBTQ people have grown up knowing that innate aspects of themselves are not approved by society. When they see that they are welcomed, this means a lot.”

As Chris points out, societal acceptance only came about very recently. The World Health Organisation only declassified homosexuality as a mental illness in 1992, and it was only fully decriminalised in Australia in 1997. And if you throw in low awareness, a lack of leadership support for environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters and concerns of backlash for backing rainbow issues, then it’s not surprising that only 27% of people surveyed in Indeed’s 2023 DEIB report said that their workplace openly supports LGBTQ+ causes. 

This is further reflected in Pride in Diversity’s 2022 Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) Employee Survey. It found that 61% of Australian employees who identify as having diverse sexual orientations do not feel comfortable being open to everyone at work. And 19% feel they must conceal their identities entirely.

Clearly, there is more work to do.

The link between DEIB and wellbeing

For employees to thrive, they need to feel psychologically safe and included, which translates to a strong sense of belonging. According to Indeed’s 2023 DEIB Report, employees who don’t feel the need to hide any part of their identity in the workplace experience higher levels of engagement and participation within their teams. This improves their contribution, career success and happiness. 

However, the percentage of Australians who are hiding at least part of their identity at work is actually rising. Since 2020, our report found that the percentage of LGBTQ+ workers who feel the need to conceal their identity has grown from 67% to 72%.

When it comes to concealing your identity, the rainbow community knows better than most what the potential mental health consequences are. Low self-esteem, chronic stress, anxiety and depression are common, and for Chris, it’s why having a safe space to come out is so important. “Being open about an important aspect of yourself, such as sexual or gender diversity, enables you to openly express your identity, feelings and experiences, which can lead to a greater sense of self-acceptance and fulfillment.”

Avoid rainbow washing

According to Chris, many organisations may avoid openly supporting LGBTQ+ causes because the political landscape is seen as too dynamic and complex to navigate. Good intentions can easily become missteps, so it’s important that any attempt at public support is backed by meaningful action. Otherwise, your organisation may be accused of “rainbow washing”. 

Chris goes on to say that rainbow washing is when an organisation uses LGBTQ+ symbols, messages and imagery to achieve a marketing outcome. Also known as pinkwashing and rainbow capitalism, it’s an empty gesture in pursuit of commercial gain, rather than a genuine attempt to progress human rights.

“The key to avoiding rainbow washing is to prioritise taking tangible steps to get the organisation’s house in order regarding LGBTQ+ inclusion – before sending an outwardly focused message,” says Chris. Not taking this crucial, foundational step leaves an organisation open to accusations of tokenism and exploitation. Not only does this undermine genuine activism, but it is also likely to backfire. Organisations that take stances on key social issues should expect increased scrutiny. And if public pledges aren’t matched by action, there’s a real risk it can alienate employees and spark condemnation from the public.

There are a few steps organisations can take to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community.

Create a LGBTQ+ inclusion strategy and governance. This could include appointing an executive sponsor, setting up an ally program, or creating an employee network.

Monitor diversity metrics. This can be done internally by people and culture teams or by participating in AWEI benchmarking or the AWEI Employee Survey.

Review policies and procedures. View these through a LGBTQ+ lens to uncover bias and discrimination and create a more welcoming environment.

Organise training for all staff. This builds awareness of the challenges of the LGBTQ+ community and boosts the visibility of key initiatives.

Hold all employees to account. Take all complaints seriously by reporting and investigating them in a timely manner. Take a zero-tolerance approach by ensuring there are consequences to discriminatory behaviour.

How colleagues can be better allies

So what can we do as individuals to create an environment where our rainbow colleagues feel safe and empowered to be themselves? For Chris, it comes down to “moving beyond expressing support to actively showing support.” 

Simple actions that make a difference include:

Wearing an LGBTQ lanyard or other symbols to visibly demonstrate your support to all team members.

Using pronouns in your correspondence. This is important to the LGBTQ+ community because it challenges norms that have historically excluded gender diverse individuals. It respects non-binary identities and promotes inclusion.

Educating yourself. “Being active means being educated and visible,” says Chris. Take it upon yourself to learn more about LGBTQ+ people and issues and go to events.
Calling out discriminatory behaviour. Take a stand against prejudice by publicly denouncing homophobic jokes and comments, and reporting them to HR.