Canada's 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce (CGLCC)’s Post

In a time where we are seeing escalating disinformation, lobbying, stigma, and violence directed at LGBTQ+ people, especially trans people, drag artists and creatives, and those who are gender expansive, it’s more important than ever that our communities stand united in supporting one another through our events.   As LGBTQ+ communities, we know that opportunities to connect with one another are important for our wellbeing and help us create safer, healthier communities. This is something we are passionate about.  ACON has developed a useful guide for LGBTQ+ organisations to offer tips and advice for some ways that you can make decisions about initiatives and plan your events in ways that support both your safety, and the safety of the communities you work with and for.    Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/djEZ-33V   We are also doing further work supporting LGBTQ+ community safety and will be closely engaging with community partners. If you'd like to express interest in contributing to this work, or receiving further resources about community safety, then please fill out this form here: https://lnkd.in/dSqz6_3r

📢 Envision:You is excited to bring Q is for Questioning to Boulder in partnership with Out Boulder! These workshops are designed to help trusted adults (parents, guardians, coaches, teachers, social workers, and others) who live with, work with, and/or mentor LGBTQ+ youth to help create more affirming environments and relationships for the youth they care about. Workshops will be held on November 30, December 7, and December 14, all from 6:00-8:00 MDT. These workshops are completely free to attend and will be a JUDGEMENT-FREE zone. This is a space for you! Register now and learn more at https://lnkd.in/gxfP6tJp. For any questions, please reach out to q.info@envision-you.org 🗓️ ✔️If you are a parent or other adult family member trying to make your home a more affirming place for an LGBTQ+ youth in your family, you belong at Q is for Questioning. ✔️If you are a teacher, coach, social worker, or community member who wants your space to be safer for the LGBTQ+ kids you interact with, you belong at Q is for Questioning.⠀ ✔️If you need other folks to process and talk to about your experience raising or mentoring LGBTQ+ youth, you belong at Q is for Questioning. To learn more, please go to https://lnkd.in/g3Et62k9

In a time where we are seeing escalating disinformation, lobbying, stigma, and violence directed at LGBTQ+ people, especially trans people, drag artists and creatives, and those who are gender expansive, it’s more important than ever that our communities stand united in supporting one another through our events. As LGBTQ+ communities, we know that opportunities to connect with one another are important for our wellbeing and help us create safer, healthier communities. This is something we are passionate about. ACON has developed a useful guide for LGBTQ+ organisations to offer tips and advice for some ways that you can make decisions about initiatives and plan your events in ways that support both your safety, and the safety of the communities you work with and for. Check it out here: 👉 https://ow.ly/nS3z50PEQyo We are also doing further work supporting LGBTQ+ community safety and will be closely engaging with community partners. If you'd like to express interest in contributing to this work, or receiving further resources about community safety, then please fill out this form here. 👉 https://ow.ly/lZ1L50PEQyp

So often I see LinkedIn posts demonstrating how incredibly smart and wonderfully accomplished my friends, colleagues (and former colleagues), clients, mentors and mentees, and other professional contacts are. Sometimes I’m just glad and proud to see them doing great things. In this case, I'm incredibly proud of my friend/colleague/mentor, Christian Rummell, for applying his smarts, accomplishments and longstanding habit of doing great things to this project: CREATING INCLUSIVE AND AFFIRMING SERVICES FOR LGBTQ+ YOUTH. Christian’s work underscores that "LGBTQ+ young people are not more likely to harm themselves or to face the many challenges identified in research because of their sexual orientation. They are not more likely to harm themselves or face these challenges because of their gender identity. They are also not more likely to harm themselves or face these challenges because of their gender expression. They are more likely to harm themselves because of how we treat them.” He’s developed easy-to-access training modules to help answer a critical question: “What actions can caring adults take to support LGBTQ+ youth as the growing number of anti-LGBT laws restrict our ability to ensure their safety and well-being? With an average of one LGBTQ+ young person attempting suicide every 45 seconds, the answer can't be "nothing.” Check out Christian's work here: https://lnkd.in/g9D2TZeg Grateful for your work, old friend.

What actions can caring adults take to support LGBTQ+ youth at a time when a growing number of states are placing restrictions on inclusive services, relationships, and spaces? In 2023, we saw more than 500 anti-LGBT bills proposed in 47 states. Seventy-five were enacted into law. In this climate, more and more youth-serving programs have become afraid to openly offer support to LGBTQ+ young people and a lot of potential allies are unsure of what, if anything, they can do. That's why I created the "Ally: Verb" training series, which I'm releasing this week. This free online training is designed to provide guidance to educators, staff in youth-serving organizations, volunteers, policy makers, funders, and caring adults to take and support asset-driven approaches to interactions and relationship with LGBTQ+ young people in their lives. The first two modules in this 7-module series share why our actions as allies matter. They are now available at mentorist.org: • Research on the Lived Experience of LGBTQ+ Youth  • Anti-LGBT Laws and Policies: An Urgent Need for Each of us to Act Future modules highlight the importance of building assets of PRIDE in LGBTQ+ youth: Possibilities, Resilience, Identity, Development, and Engagement. Each contains research-informed tips and recommendations, videos, stories, and resources. Please feel free to share these free trainings with your professional network. You can also sign up on my website for email alerts when new modules are released. If you want to know more about these trainings, or how I can work directly with your organization to build your capacity for LGBTQ+ inclusion, don't hesitate to reach out. https://lnkd.in/gMXvrzBF

On Thursday, our London Engagement team are hosting their first in-person round table of the year, which will focus on mapping the current support available and the unmet needs of older LGBTQ+ people. There are still a few limited spaces left to attend the event. If you are an LGBTQ+ organisation that supports older people please see further details below ⬇   Date: Thursday 16th May 2024   Timing: The roundtable will run from 2.30pm – 4.30pm in Central London. For sign-up and meeting location please email: admin@consortium.lgbt   Overview: With the recent closure of Opening Doors, it is more important than ever to work together to support older LGBTQ+ Londoners. Consortium’s London team will be facilitating a roundtable of approx. 20 organisations with the aim of: -Understanding and capturing the key issues facing older LGBTQ+ people in London -Sharing and learning about the current provision of services and support available from LGBTQ+ community organisations, but also to raise the profile and increase visibility of LGBTQ+ older people in the sector and their diverse experiences in ageing -Seeking views on what is needed to maintain and develop services and support -Exploring what we can achieve collectively and how we will develop a collaborative action plan    Payment:   All attendees will be renumerated for their time. Travel expenses will also be covered (within Greater London).  

GSBA is excited to let you know that The Washington State Department of Commerce has asked us to reach out to the LGBTQ+ community on their behalf. Specifically, they want to hear about what types of facilities (housing and/or non-housing) are most needed in the coming 5-10 years. This information will be used to determine how funding is distributed by the Dept. Of Commerce to Community-Based Organizations who are planning capital projects. The survey has only 3 questions and should not take you more than 5 minutes to complete. The final question of the survey will ask you if you are willing to participate in a follow-up interview, and GSBA is offering stipends ($45-$105) to LGBTQ+ community members (including extra $ for child/adult care if needed) who are willing to elaborate further on their initial responses via a ~30-minute, virtual meeting with a GSBA team member. Take the survey here: bit.ly/GSBANeedsSurvey

If you're part of the LGBTQ+ community on the Internet, you might know a thing or two about fandom! 🌈 This study aimed to better understand LGBTQ+ adolescents and young adults' view of LGBTQ+ representation and community climate in online fandom communities. 🌈 Historically, representation of LGBTQ+ individuals is negative, perpetuating stereotypes, and lack nuance in ways that strengthen heterosexism. Tropes such as “bury your gays” exist in mainstream media, i.e. where LGBTQ+ characters are subjected to death or violence for the sake of a dramatic or shocking plot line. 🌈 Current literature suggests that LGBTQ+ youth online participation allows folks to experience identity-based exploration, development activities, and community building. Fandom acts as a form of counterpublics, a form of space for withdrawal and regrouping for marginalized communities, providing skill buildings for counter activities directed at wider publics, such as LGBTQ+ activism. Check out the study on our research hub: https://lnkd.in/geWEM3a7

Would you like to engage in authentic, yearlong cultural literacy upskilling around the cultures that your colleagues, coworkers, and markets belong to and are influenced and inspired by?   👉🏽 Our culture-specific Spotlights are not superficial.   These one-hour, interactive, deep-dive workshops are focused on the EXPERIENCE of being a member of these communities, and contribute to building cultural competence, inclusion skills, and a culture of belonging throughout your organization. 🧡Spotlight on the Black/African American Community 🧡Spotlight on Women in Leadership 🧡Being an Ally for the AAPI Community 🧡Spotlight on the LGBTQ+ Community 🧡Spotlight on Persons with Disabilities 🧡Spotlight on the Hispanic/Latine Community 🧡Spotlight on Indigenous Peoples of North America 🧡Spotlight on the U.S. Veterans Community 🧡Spotlight on U.S. Generations Contact us for 20% off for the bundle of nine Spotlights for your 2024 programming. #culturalcompetence #highperformingteams #collaboration #inclusion #leadership LCW

Did you know? Around 2 in 5 LGBTQ+ adults in the state had difficulty paying for usual household expenses. Having reliable and accurate data on the challenges that different LGBTQ+ communities are facing is vital in order to inform the most effective policy solutions. Improving data collection methods is a first step to make sure that LGBTQ+ individuals are represented. State leaders must continue to ensure that policies aiming to reduce economic hardships take into account the needs of LGBTQ+ Californians and that supports are available and accessible to all. ⚡ Read more from our policy expert Kayla Kitson in our latest. https://lnkd.in/gbD_PceB