According to UCLA’s Williams Institute, there are over 8 million LGBTQIA+ employees living in the United States. Tragically, nearly half of these employees have endured unfair treatment on the job at some point in their careers, with 57% of this unfair treatment motivated by religious beliefs. These experiences of discrimination are amplified for LGBTQIA+ people who are BIPOC, transgender, and those who live at these intersections.

Given these harsh realities, it’s no surprise 50% of LGBTQIA+ employees are not out to their current supervisor, and 26% are not out to anyone on the job. Covering the things that are most precious to who we are compromises our sense of safety and erodes interpersonal trust at work. Exacerbating these barriers, is a renewed anti-LGBTQIA+ legislative campaign attempting to erode the limited rights secured over the past few decades, most acutely targeting transgender and gender expansive people.

If you are committed to advancing your organization’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) commitments and want to do more for you LGBTQIA+ colleagues during these chilling times, the conversation you’re about to hear was created for you. During this conversation, Fiona Dawson provides an opportunity to build more solidarity within & beyond LGBTQIA+ communities, including workplace employee resource groups (ERGs).

Fiona is an Emmy®-nominated and award-winning filmmaker. She's a proud bisexual, cisgender, immigrant woman from the LGBTQIA+ community, and she is the founder and director of Free Lion Productions, where she and her team create content to make diversity, equity, and inclusion programs work. She has received many notable awards including President Obama’s LGBT Artist Champion of Change for her Emmy®-nominated short, Transgender, at War and in Love, and the 2018 SXSW Audience Award for her documentary, TransMilitary.

Together, our conversation supports DEIB professionals, along with other inclusive leaders, build stronger and psychologically safer teams across differences. Listeners like you will gain a deeper appreciation of the many dynamic cultures that exist within LGBTQIA+ communities, including workplace employee resource groups (ERGs). Topics explored include:

-Fiona’s bestselling book, Are Bisexuals Just Greedy? Animated Answers for All People Who Simply Want to Understand the Spectrum of Being LGBTQ+

-Learning how to engage the silent majority within the LGBTQIA+ community

-Recognizing the power of LGBTQIA+ solidarity within ERGs and what gets in the way

-Fiona’s vision for the future of work

Savor this insightful talk, and if you’re looking for more ways to connect with inspiring leaders like Fiona, be sure to join the Belonging Membership Community – a community of leaders committed to advancing their DEIB goals while practicing community care. Members have the unique opportunity to engage with our guests 1:1 after our podcast recordings where they can participate in a private Q&A session with our guest.

To learn more about the Belonging Membership Community, please visit: www.belongingmembershipcommunity.com.

Now, let’s jump into the conversation!