To commemorate International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOTB) today on 17 May 2020 and LGBT+ Pride Month in June, Community Business has launched invaluable resources to help improve understanding and tolerance, not only across Asia, but worldwide.
The non-profit has collated an LGBT+ Dictionary to help supporters and allies understand and use people’s correct terminology respectfully and confidently. “Self-identification and pride are powerful tools and we want to encourage our community to equip themselves with the vocabulary to celebrate and support each other,” stated Community Business CEO Peter Sargant, who firmly believes that language can be an “incredibly powerful tool”.
“It gives colourful detail about a person and is often a key to deeper understanding. When it comes to diversity, however, language can sometimes become a barrier to inclusion,” pointed out Sargant. “Fear of using the wrong word or term can be frightening, leading people to step back and avoid participating in inclusive discussion, although they are keen to do so. There is a fine line between genuine curiosity and respecting people’s privacy.”
BOLD & INCLUSIVE CONVERSATIONS
Community Business, “strives to give people the tools to have bold and inclusive conversations, with the baseline information to elevate the discussion and turn that conversation into action”, he added. “We’ve spent the last few weeks and months talking to each other differently, from our homes instead of our offices and through our computer and phone instead of face to face. Whether we know it or not, we’re using language more and using it differently. I suspect we’re being a little more thoughtful, intentional and I hope a little more compassionate and empathetic.”
While we obviously shouldn’t become hung up labels – and we shouldn’t make knowing, understanding and using the correct term or (in the case of LGBT+) the right letter, an entry qualifier to discussion, “there’s huge value in all of us properly understanding what the right language is and what it means, out of respect for the individual and for peoples’ own difference”, stressed Sargant. “If we do nothing else this IDAHOTB, then we owe it to ourselves and to those we connect with, to understand their preferred language and to recognise and embrace the difference that exists within our own workforce, whether we know it or not. We wish you all a happy and safe IDAHOTB from everyone here at Community Business.”
INVALUABLE RESOURCES
Over the next few weeks, Community Business will be sharing a selection of terms related to and describing the LGBT+ community – some of these might be old friends and well-known, while others may be more recently coined or new to your parlance – the team at Community Business have certainly enjoyed arming ourselves with this robust dictionary and brushing up on our technical knowledge. The non-profit built the glossary by referencing the Fenway Institute LGBT+ Glossary, as well as the University of Massachusetts Amherst – Stonewall Center LGBTQIA+ Terminology Handout.
How one identifies is a personal and evolving concept as you will discover from Community Business LGBT+ Programme Manager, Adrienne Davis, along with CEO Peter Sargant and Emily Moss, Head of Marketing & Communications, who share their thoughts and stories via a podcast on the topic which you can access by clicking here.
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