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An assortment of overlapping stripes formed of the LGBT+ pride flag colours of white, pink, light blue, black, brown, red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet
Image: filo / iStock
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Tuesday 27th February 2024

LGBT+ History Month and public relations: looking beyond February

10 things that PR professionals can do all year round to ensure that you're ready and prepared for LGBTQIA+ celebrations and reflections

As we near the end of LGBT+ History Month, I wanted to spend a bit of time reflecting on how individuals and organisations can better serve the LGBTQIA+ community throughout the year. 

Awareness-raising months give us time to celebrate, have important conversations and remember the past. But being trans, non-binary, gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, questioning or queer doesn’t stop when these months come to close. 

From the products and services you create, to the communications you put out into the world, and the policies and practices you establish to build your company culture, LGBTQIA+ inclusion needs to be embedded across everything you do, all year round. 

What is LGBT+ History Month?

LGBT+ History Month, celebrated across the UK each year in February, aims to reclaim the past, celebrate the present and shape the future of LGBTQIA+ communities. 

This year’s theme was Under the Scope: LGBT+ History Month in Medicine and showcased the contributions that LGBTQIA+ people have made to healthcare.

What can I do to offer support all year round?

As with any awareness raising month, LGBT+ History Month is a time for celebration and reflection. However, it also creates space for us to think about how we can better serve this community all year round. 

If you are struggling to know where to start or would like to build on what you have already done this year (maybe in time for Trans Day of Visibility on 31 March, International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia on 17 May or Pride in June) below are my recommendations:

1. Educate staff and yourself about the history of the LGBTQIA+ community – this is an excellent way to support LGBTQIA+ activists by paying them for their expertise, instead of expecting people to come forward and relive past traumas for free.

2. Find ways to provide this education all year round. Try adopting inclusive language tools that flag exclusionary language, having yearly EDI training refreshers or by buying awareness-raising books by LGBTQIA+ authors and following LGBTQIA+ creators.

3. Create inclusive workplace policies and cultures that support LGBTQIA+ workers all year round. For example, create an environment where pronouns on email signatures or Slack messages are the norm.

4. Approach LGBQTIA+ issues through an intersectional lens. Think about how this community may also be affected by race, socioeconomic background, gender, religion, disability, neurodiversity, education etc. Use other awareness raising days like Black History Month, International Women’s Day, Neurodiversity Celebration Week, National Inclusion Week, Mental Health Awareness Week to prompt questions and reflection.

5. Build or invest in products and services that address the specific needs of the LGBTQIA+ community.

6. Donate to LGBTQIA+ charities.

7. Avoid creating unmanageable workloads for the LGBTQIA+ community by expecting them to provide unpaid labour in the form of ‘working groups’ or free talks about their lived experience. Pay people for their time and expertise. Build inclusion into performance reviews and allocate time each month for individuals to do this work within their working hours.

8. Use inclusive imagery all year round. Vice has a beautiful collection of images called the Gender Spectrum Collection: Stock photos beyond the binary.

9. Look after your spokespeople and look after the people involved in creating any LGBTQIA+ initiatives or campaigns. You have a duty of care. Do not abandon them if things get tough or if you’re attacked by anti-LGBTQIA+ critics. This might look like social media support and deleting harmful comments in videos (Ben Pechey speaks about this in their post about safeguarding) or providing them access to mental health support.

10. Only create and share case studies once you have done this work, so you can share your commitments publicly and transparently. Be honest about where you can improve and what steps you will be taking next year to build on your work so far. 

Education is key

One of the first things we can all do is begin to educate ourselves about the lived experiences of identities that don’t intersect with our own. 

Below are some recommended resources from myself and the Conscious Campaigner Sprint cohorts.

My LGBTQIA+ recommended watches:

  • Gentleman Jack, BBC iPlayer - a period drama following the remarkable life of Anne Lister - “the first modern lesbian” - in 19th-century England. 
  • Pride, watch on Amazon Prime - a heartwarming film based on the true story of LGBTQIA+ activists who supported the striking miners in 1984 Wales. Glorious 80s nostalgia and heart wrenching portrayal of the devastating impact of the Aids epidemic. 
  • Pose, BBC iPlayer or Netflix - award winning series exploring ballroom culture and LGBTQIA+ community in New York City during 80s and 90s.
  • Philosophy Tube, YouTube - incredible video essays on everything from gender identity and politics to philosophy and AI by Abigail Thorn. She makes philosophy interesting, engaging and accessible. 

Recommended reads from the Conscious Campaigner Sprint cohort:

Emily Horton is the founder of communication consultancy More Diverse Voices. You can sign up to her bi-monthly inclusive communication newsletter.

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