Posts Tagged ‘Multicultural’

All Are Welcome. Interview With Meredith Worthen of The Welcoming Project

Posted by Jessica Payne

Hi Meredith, please introduce yourself and describe a typical day at The Welcoming Project.

I am an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Women’s and Gender Studies at The University of Oklahoma and I created The Welcoming Project to reach out to the LGBTQ community and their allies. The majority of the work I do for The Welcoming Project involves generating new interest in the project and trying to get businesses, organizations, and churches to become a part of the project. I am also actively involved in creating new programming for The Welcoming Project including our newly created undergraduate scholarship award and our annual events which include Gay Pride OKC and our quarterly luncheon.   

Where did the idea for The Welcoming Project come from?

The Welcoming Project was an idea that I thought of after attending an event at The University of Oklahoma where activist Shelby Knox discussed gay-straight alliances in America. The event inspired me to ask myself what more I could do in my community to contribute to a more positive environment for LGBTQ individuals and allies. I am actively involved in the LGBTQ educational campus program at The University of Oklahoma, The Sooner Ally Program, so I wanted to think of ways that I could extend the idea of The Sooner Ally Program beyond campus borders. One important part of The Sooner Ally Program involves posting visible “Sooner Ally” signs to indicate LGBTQ-openness to students, faculty, and staff. I wanted to provide a service like that for the larger community. With the help of Kathy Moxley of the Women’s Outreach Center and co-creator Brian Eddins, The Welcoming Project came into being. Since then, it has really begun to take shape with more than 35 LGBTQ-friendly businesses, organizations, and churches participating across the United States. We like to think of the project as a nation-wide or even global effort to promote the visibility of LGBTQ-friendly entities, stimulate educational efforts, and encourage advocacy.  

How many people volunteer for The Welcoming Project?

The Welcoming Project team is made of up me and my husband, co-creator Brian Eddins.

How did you decide on the All Are Welcome slogan?

That is actually a funny story. After discussing the project with Kathy Moxley and Brian Eddins, I knew that a “sign” was going to be a big part of this project. I didn’t know what the sign would be but I woke up one morning with the idea of “All Are Welcome” and it just seemed to be perfect. It really fit with what I wanted to do with the project since I wanted to promote acceptance of diversity. I got on my computer and opened up PowerPoint and began creating ideas for graphics. The rainbow flag was chosen because I think it is the most easily recognizable LGTBQ-friendly symbol that transgresses borders and communities. Unlike other symbols (for example, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) symbol which only some people recognize as a positive LGTBQ symbol) most people know what the rainbow flag stands for. The addition of our slogan “All Are Welcome” further solidifies the goal of The Welcoming Project.

What’s the connection with Norman, Oklahoma?

I live in Norman and I wanted to make a difference in this community as well as others. Norman is a unique community because it is a typical “college town” that has a transient college population but it is also located in a very conservative state (Oklahoma). Norman itself is recognized as the most “liberal” area in the state but it still faces challenges. The Welcoming Project is an ideal addition to the Norman community because Norman has many LGBTQ-friendly places that should be easily visibly recognizable so that the new college students can locate “safe” spaces when they come to Norman. I really feel that this is the perfect time for Norman and other parts of the country to show support for LGBTQ individuals and allies. With the recent 2010 victory of the City of Norman Human Right’s Commission’s initiative to declare October as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender History Month, the community is aware that LGBTQ individuals and allies are an important part of it 

What’s the biggest challenge about raising awareness for The Welcoming Project?

Awareness is one of the main goals of The Welcoming Project and it is quite a challenge. The use of social media (i.e. Facebook and Twitter) has really helped us get the word out there about the project in the short time since its launch. But unfortunately, social media outlets only reach people who are already LGBTQ-friendly. We would like to reach out to those who maybe haven’t thought about the LGBTQ community before or maybe don’t understand the unique needs of the LGBTQ community. We want to educate business owners, organization coordinators, and church officials about the fact that the LGBTQ community and their allies are a part of every community and that displaying a visible welcoming sign can have a huge positive impact.

What has the reception been like so far for businesses featuring Welcoming signs?

I have actually been very impressed with the interest that The Welcoming Project has generated in the short time since its launch in late March 2011. We have contacted hundreds of local businesses, organizations, and churches and many have responded with positivity and support. We hope to continue to see as much positive interest as we move forward with the project.

What about their patrons? 

My husband is a realtor and he has The Welcoming Project symbol posted on the homepage of his website, www.brianeddins.com. He actually had a potential client contact him because she saw the symbol! This is actually exactly how I hoped the project would work! The idea is that the display of the welcoming sign, whether it be on a website or in a window, would allow patrons to feel welcomed. Not only that, the symbol promotes a positive message and those who support that message may also want to support that business.

Also, our Facebook page has nearly 200 followers and many are potential “patrons” who are very supportive of businesses, organizations, and churches as they become a part of the project. 

What’s been the biggest surprise so far about The Welcoming Project?

I think the surprise has really been the positive encouragement we have received from the Norman community and beyond. When we started the project, I really had no idea how people would respond. I have been pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming amount of support we have received. We only hope it continues.

What would you say to business owners and/or church groups tentative about joining the program?

I think the main point I want to get across to business owners and churches is about the power of welcoming symbols. It is truly remarkable how much a small gesture like displaying a welcome sign can positively impact LGBTQ individuals and allies. I think many people underestimate the power that a symbol like this can have, but I know that when I see symbols like this, it is extremely powerful. For example, I would much prefer to be a patron of a welcoming business or a member of a welcoming church if I had the choice. I think that others who are supportive of the LGBTQ community feel the same way.

Where can people get involved?

People can get involved in several ways:

  1. Tell a business owner, organization coordinator, or church official about The Welcoming Project!
  2. Download our brochure from our website and share it with others! http://www.thewelcomingproject.org/downloads/The%20Welcoming%20Project%20brochure.pdf
  3. Follow us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/thewelcomingproject
  4. Follow us on Twitter! www.twitter.com/thewelcomingpro
  5. Promote us either on your website or in your newsletter and we will you list you on our website here: http://www.thewelcomingproject.org/news-web.php
  6. Sign up to receive our quarterly e-newsletter here: http://www.thewelcomingproject.org/mailing-list.php
  7. Attend one of our events! Information about The Welcoming Project upcoming events can be found here: http://www.thewelcomingproject.org/events.php
  8. Donate to The Welcoming Project!

The Welcoming Project is a non-profit organization. We count on donations from supporters to reach our fundraising goals and give back to the community. We greatly appreciate any and all donations in any amount. When you make a donation to The Welcoming Project, you can help in the following ways:

  • You can provide 100 Welcoming Signs for businesses, organizations, and churches to post in their windows for just $20.
  • You can contribute to The Welcoming Project Scholarship $500 Award and provide an outstanding undergraduate student who is an energetic LGBTQ activist with a financial award that will help him/her succeed in completing his/her undergraduate education.
  • You can help us keep our website up to date and keep the community informed about The Welcoming Project  by contributing toward our monthly website maintenance fee for just $60. 
  • You can help The Welcoming Project achieve visibility in Norman through donating as little as $5 to help us pay for membership fees to be a part of the Norman Downtowners Association, Norman Chamber of Commerce, Norman Next Community Activism Group, PFLAG Norman, and Gay & Lesbian Rainbow Pages.

You may make donations to The Welcoming Project by mail or online through PayPal. Information about donations can be found here: http://www.thewelcomingproject.org/donations.php

Thank you so much for your time, Meredith!

| May 20th, 2011 No Comments »
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Google Steps to the Plate, Now What?

Posted by Ivette López Sisniega

Yesterday, Google joined Cisco, Kimpton Hotels and the Gates Foundation in increasing pay to gays and lesbians to make up for the approximately $1,000 difference gay couples pay in domestic partnership taxes in comparison to their heterosexual counterparts.

So… what does this mean? Is this the case study we share with our employers to do the same or to our oppressors to validate our “marriages?” Do we just hang this up on our wall of accomplishments and hope that others follow suit? Just what does it mean that Google has returned one of the best results to its employees?

It means that talented gay and lesbian individuals power one of the most common household names, that the keywords you typed into the Google search bar has been routed to find your #1 response by someone who could be queer. Google is outing itself as a company with approximately 700 gay and lesbian employees and validating their equal rights as citizens of this country. It raises the profile of gays and lesbian in the workforce.

What can these companies do to keep the momentum?

They should continue to promote their policy by seeking opportunities so speak with gay and lesbian media (and general media as well) on the important decision to vouch for progress for the gay and lesbian community. This will create additional loyalty and showcase them as thought-leaders in diversity issues.

They can keep the momentum by encouraging partners and vendors to do the same. Yes, this sounds a bit like advocacy work – which is far off each company’s agenda in terms of gay and lesbian issues – but I am willing to bet each of these company’s LGBT employee groups would be willing to start this conversation.

What would you advise? What would you like to see? All comments are welcome!

| July 2nd, 2010 No Comments »
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Cross-border discrimination

Posted by Guido Schmitz

Two months ago, I wrote about how cross-border interaction, namely the EuroPride, helps to accelerate the development of human and LGBT rights in certain countries. Today’s post deals with how reactionary thinking from the outside affects the public discourse of a society.

My last entry was about pedophilia and how we need to draw the line between it and some people’s erroneous correlations to male homosexuality. In Germany, a public discussion about this has been more or less absent despite several recently revealed cases of pedophilia.

Now this has changed and media does indeed report and discuss the issue. This is mostly due to the statements of the “secretary of state” of the Vatican, Cardinal Bertone. While visiting Chile, he claimed that there are many scientific findings supporting the thesis that homosexuality and pedophilia are indeed linked. Now I do not want to go into this issue again. My point is a different one this time.

The first German-speaking media to pick up Bertone’s statements were websites run by religious and conservative fundamentalists. From there Bertone’s statement spread to the mainstream. Now the interesting aspect is that many of these blogs are written in German but are located abroad. The blog kreuz.net is a premium example for a blog that is set up in the United States and operates from there for a German audience.

Why do they do that? It is mainly because these blogs face a problem with their legality. By all means, Germany is a liberal country with a far reaching freedom of speech, but as a reaction to our history we have established quite strict rules as to how far this right can go before it hurts democracy and the protection of minorities which is an integral part of democracy to our understanding. So in order to escape prosecution for defamation these blogs have moved to countries where they are protected by law, in particular the United States.

Lately, they have become quite successful with influencing the German discourse from time to time. They import ideas which are then discussed by mainstream media. You may argue that sooner or later the German media would have picked up the statement by Bertone anyway. You are probably right.

But the difference is that now you have a visible outlet in German language which argues against LGBT rights and people are directed to this outlet by the German mainstream media referencing it. So what should or could be done.

Obviously, we cannot restrict the Internet to an extent where we block sites we as a society do not appreciate. Apart from the inherent legal and technical problems, I have to confess that I’m not a big fan of banning ideas or the organization they are represented by from the public domain. I believe in openly engaging with these people and let arguments speak for themselves. I know that at some point certain behavior becomes unbearable for a society and the state has to act. But it is hard to draw the line and it is no easy thing to do.

Thus, we only really have one way to deal with these sites — openly engaging with these sites and using their websites as a platform for our arguments. Interestingly enough, the vast majority of comments on kreuz.net are now posted by opponents of their thoughts and stance. This is certainly a proof point that this strategy can be successful.

So a society might actually benefit from the “invasion of ideas,” even if they are reactionary. This is for the simple reason that a society which is used to liberal Human and LGBT rights sometimes forget the value of its achievements. Provocation from the outside is thus an ideal stimulus for a discussion and a reassurance that human rights and equality values are a good thing worth fighting for.

From this point of view, I would like to take the opportunity to say thank you to kreuz.net and similar websites! Thank you for reminding us all that we came a long way and that it is worth defending our achievements.

What do you think? Would you like to join me in saying thank you?

| June 1st, 2010 No Comments »
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Inreach — Community Marketing Breaks Down the Complex Diversity within the LGBT Market

Posted by Bryan Blaise

One of this great conference's organizers, Community Marketing Inc. (CMI), followed Barrios this morning. Known for their Gay and Lesbian Indices, leading materials that provide essential information about the LGBT community. In addition to typical stats on our community's buying power, loyalty and the like, they provided qualitative results from their focus groups. 

They opened up the session talking about Inreach — the need to market and look inside at your company or target market before marketing outwardly. With that, the went through 30 minutes of important statistical and qualitative affirmation of what we've been seeing in the LGBT market. The information from their study of 50,000 self-identifying LGBT individuals is overwhelming and I can't wait to get home and download the full presentation. In the meantime, below are the highlights from this morning's discussion:

Basic Stats

  • The largest portion of their respondents (41.1%) live in urban areas, giving marketers easier access through media and local events to reach our community
  • LGBT and loyalty is common knowledge among marketers. The most recent study found that 51 percent are loyal to brands that are committed and engaged with them, as well as willing to try new brands (the concept of early adoption)
  • Almost all – 95 percent – favor cause marketing
  • The LGBT community is well-educated – nearly 70 percent have a bachelors degree or higher – and were largely unaffected by the recession, with 82 percent employed.

LGBT in Business

Our community works hard — to serve employers and additionally in the movement for equality. This year, CMI's study found out that nearly half (45%) of survey respondents were owners or officers of their companies. With that purchasing power, 60 percent of these individuals noted they were influenced to purchase from other LBGT businesses or those that support their community. We focus so much on the Out Front Blog on business-to-consumer communications, but these stats show the importance of remembering to market to other businesses your company's commitment to LGBT equality.

Focus Group Highlights

If I say "LGBT communications" do you think of shirtless, muscled guy with immense sex appeal? If you do, you're not alone. But these images, though fading thankfully out of all LGBT ads, only touch one letter of LGBT (and actually only one segment of the G, to be honest). CMI's biggest point they drove home over and over is — LGBT is diversity. We represent a complete slice of the world's diversity in age, gender, ethnicity and culture. There's many opportunities (and some challenges) when targeting us with communications.  Below are some notes from their discussions with the under represented "letters" and segments:

  • Lesbians are largely tired and even angry of being left out of "gay" advertising that's largely male-dominated. Marketers must remember to market them as women first. Imagery is crucial, too. Check out a future post on new terms to learn the evils of "hetero-cropping" and its use in advertising to lesbian.
  • Gay parents are growing in recognition, given recent legislation. In Chicago, we've seen a gay couple on the cover of Chicago Parent and the famous Food Network Hearty Boys reached out to former governor Mark Huckabee and his abrasive comments about gay adoption with an invitation to experience their family dinners. Of the survey respondents, 5 percent were gay percent and 20 percent were lesbian parents. Market these individuals through direct media such as Gay Parent and Proud Parenting.
  • The under 30 focus groups really resonated with me. We're ethnically diverse, as opposed to our largely out white predecessors. LGBT millennials differ by location, are less influenced by LGBT media and look for integration of LGBT content. We don't need a separate gay advertising, show or channel — we want to see ourselves in everyday media and marketing. And we want to see all the colorful faces of our community, too.
  • Out Front's Erin Grohs recently talked about the plight of LGBT individuals older than 55. CMI covered this demographic as well. They're turned off by ads that focus on youth and sexuality, but rather prefer accurate images of older LGBT couples and individuals. They also prefer gay-exclusive locations and channels — a stark difference from the following generation.

CMI didn't stop there and also covered other slices of our community including ethnic, personal identities (circuit, bears, etc.), professional organizations, bisexual, transgender. 

For communicators, this information echoes more general trends we're seeing — mass advertisements and communications won't achieve the same results if you directly speak to the age, ethnicity, and interests of your target consumer.

| April 30th, 2010 No Comments »
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Sinnkrise of a European – Transnational LGBT Communications

Posted by Guido Schmitz

This is only my second blog entry and already I encounter a “Sinnkrise,” something that is best described as “crisis of meaning” or “crisis of identity.” As you know my goal here was to add more of a European perspective to the blog, showing similarities and differences between the U.S. and European LGBT communications. Now I find myself trapped in the definition of “European.” Can a German actually be speaking on behalf of Europe or would it even be arrogant to pretend just that? After all, most Europeans love to think in stereotypes about their neighbors; Germans are free of humor but efficient, French are dingy but have great food, and Italians are lazy but are great lovers… the list is endless.

While thinking about this dilemma it came to my mind that despite this general pattern maybe there is something like a Pan-European LGBT community. This would be a community which is more or less free from living along the lines of stereotypes. It would face similar challenges in the various countries and share a common set of values.

I know it’s only March and it seems a little early to talk about Pride already. But in this context, there is hardly anything better to symbolize the unity of the European LGBT community. Orgullo, the Spanish Pride in Madrid, is something I enjoy every year and the same holds true for Pride in London.  At the same time, I haven’t been to Pride in any other German city other than Frankfurt so far. Not even to Cologne and that one is huge. I feel equally connected to the people no matter which country, be it the U.K., Spain or Germany.

This feeling of mutual acceptance was institutionalized in 1992, when the EuroPride was established in London. It was thought of as a platform for the LGBT community to exchange and discuss ideas and visions. Moreover, it was a great instrument to give those members of the LGBT community a voice in whose countries they didn’t enjoy their lives as they pleased to. Thus, the EuroPride was even more a platform to communicate universal beliefs and human rights than the national prides could ever be.

This year will actually be a special year for the EuroPride. The voice of equal and human rights will not come from a place with a long LGBT tradition. This year the voice will move to a place where the LGBT community still suffers from repression by society and politics – Warsaw, Poland.  It’s a brave move to hold EuroPride in a city where in previous years, the then mayor and now president of Poland, Lech Kaczynski, tried to outlaw Pride and ordered police to break up the march. It was only with the help of foreign visitors and international media that the Polish Equality Foundation, which runs Warsaw Pride, was able to succeed in putting on a Pride event each year despite the pressure.

So EuroPride 2010 has the potential to achieve three things:

  • Be a signal to East Europe that LGBT rights are human rights. Create a deeper understanding and ease communication between the local LGBT communities and society.
  • Create further awareness in Western European countries for the challenges LGBT communities still encounter in East Europe.
  • Most importantly, it will help to form a truly European voice that is heard and understood across the continent.

Coming back to my Sinnkrise and the question if there is something like a European LGBT community, I’m still a little concerned whether or not I’ll be able to live up to my own goals. On the one hand there are still so many differences in how LGBT communities are accepted across Europe. Think of Spain, U.K. and the Netherlands with equal marriage and then think of Poland and Russia on the other hand where it’s dangerous to hold hands in public. Given those very different backgrounds, a very different communications approach is essential and needed.

On the other hand, I was reminded of one of my favorite blog entries on Out Front by Ben Finzel, Say What? – Eight Words and Phrases to Avoid in LGBT Communications. It speaks of the universal taboos when communicating with the LGBT community. These eight phrases and words are true for West and East Europe and build the common grounds for a unified European LGBT communication, no matter where you are. The message is the same. It is just the way to get across that is different.

What do you think? Is there something like a European or even global approach to LGBT communications? Or is it more useful to go country by country, society by society?

| March 24th, 2010 1 Comment »
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