Bonial as LGBTIQ+ Safe Zone
May 17 marks the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT). It´s a day of raising awareness of the discrimination LGBTIQ+ folks face (you can look up what each term in the acronym means here), but it´s equally a day of visibility and celebration.
For many queer people, IDAHOBIT is an important marker of how far LGBTIQ+ activism and rights have come, and a reminder of how much we still need to do to achieve full equality for LGBTIQ+ people worldwide.
As you see many businesses post about IDAHOBIT today, you might ask yourself: “What does one´s workplace have to do with the fight against homophobia, transphobia and biphobia?” And that´s a great question.
We know that LGBTIQ+ people face discrimination in Germany and worldwide, and we are also acutely aware that discrimination and stereotypes don´t stop when people enter the office and start their workday. Quite the opposite — discrimination and stereotypes against LGBTIQ+ people often get reflected in the workplace, and many queer people feel like they cannot be themselves at work.
A study by the German Institute for Economic Research from 2020 showed that a third of lesbian and gay and more than 40% of trans employees report being discriminated against at work. This ranges from flat-out violence to microaggressions and homophobic or transphobic “jokes”.
We spend a lot of time at work, and if we don´t feel safe enough to form professional relationships and friendships in the workplace for fear of discrimination, everyone loses. As LGBTIQ+ people, we might hide parts of our personalities, ideas and feel more disconnected from our teams if we are not sure we will be fully accepted.
This is why Bonial is joining Axel Springer´s network and declaring our office an LGBTIQ+ safe zone. You can see the stickers on our receptions and different spaces throughout the office. We want every Bonialer, guest and potential candidate to know that they are safe and welcome in our office. We see and celebrate our queer Bonialers today and every day. We are proud and visible queer Bonialers ourselves — or we are allies to our LGBTIQ+ colleagues.
Moreover, we know that the current pandemic situation is forcing our queer Bonialers back to private spaces, where they are not very visible — this is why it´s especially important for us to promote LGBTIQ+ Safe Zones at this time. If you´d like to know more about the project and why queer visibility and safety in the workplace are so important, watch this video.
Happy IDAHOBIT!
Author: Marta Šušak, Community & Events Manager at Bonial
