Summer is upon us and with that there is plenty to celebrate. Good weather, pool days, vacation time, and Pride Month! While nationally June is Pride Month, our festival in Omaha, Nebraska was celebrated in July, with continued celebration and recognition all year round. More information on the Omaha Pride Festival can be found at the end of the article.
Here at Arbor Family Counseling, we value DEI in the workplace. DEI stands for Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion, meaning our values include support of all employees and clients regardless of race, age, ethnicity, religion, abilities, sexual orientation, etc. There are many ways to show DEI in a workplace setting. Some of these ways can include recognition and celebration of diverse holidays, having underrepresented groups share monthly on their beliefs or backgrounds, and generally making everyone feel like they truly belong.
To do this, we must be willing and able to lay aside our biases, whether conscious or unconscious. Bias can be deliberate (conscious), or something we are unaware of (unconscious). A great example of unconscious bias is demonstrated in the “ER Doctor Riddle”: A father and son are in a car accident and are rushed to the hospital. Just as the son is about to go under the knife, the surgeon says, “I can’t operate, this is my son!” How is this possible? If it took you some time to realize that the surgeon might be the boy’s mother, (or if you changed the picture of the surgeon in your head when you read the last sentence), you have just experienced unconscious gender-bias. These ideas are generally things we are not aware we are thinking, believing, or understanding; even if you didn’t realize you were biased to the idea that surgeons are men, you experienced the bias nonetheless.
In June, Arbor staff had an amazing chance to learn from our psychologist Kathleen Källström-Schreckengost, and a few other leaders at Trivium Life Services. Kathleen and others presented a Pride Month panel and discussion to help other Trivium staff learn more about the LGBTQIA+ community. This is an example of a marginalized group presenting to their co-workers and colleagues.
Kathleen has collected some resources below for parents and caregivers of LGBTQIA+ folks, as well as family members, friends, coworkers, and anyone else interested in supporting the LGBTQIA+ community.
Please feel free to pass along to your staff, co-workers, family members, etc!
Tips on Allyship and Using these Resources:
- Spend some time researching on your own. Educating yourself is important to being a good ally!
- Resources for allies are great, but you’ll learn the most by watching media made for the queer community (this is the BEST way to pick up terminology, etc.)
- Beware of gender-critical/ TERF outlets!! These are anti-trans folks speaking from a “feminist” lens.
(Omaha-Based) Support Groups:
- Families of Gender Expansive Youth (UNMC- See attached flyer)
- Proud Horizons Youth Group https://proudhorizons.wordpress.com/
Websites:
- UNMC Transgender Care Clinic: https://www.nebraskamed.com/transgender-care(Including their own list of trans resources: https://www.nebraskamed.com/transgender-care/transgender-resources
- genderspectrum.org
- Trans Student Educational Resources: https://transstudent.org
- The Trevor Project: Trevorproject.org
- Plannedparenthood.org/parents
- mykidisgay.com
Book Recs from the New York Public Library:
- Trans List: https://www.nypl.org/…/01/reading-trans-literary-landscapehttps://genderspectrum.org/
- Queer List- Adults and Kids: https://www.nypl.org/blog/2021/10/27/books-celebrate-lgbtq-history-month
If you or anyone you know are dealing with bias or discrimination against you at home, work, or school, our counselors at Arbor Family Counseling are here to listen. We provide a safe, inclusive place to discuss life transitions, stress, workplace conflict, anxiety, depression, or any related topic. All sessions with our counselors are completely confidential. Please call our front desk at 402-330-0960 to schedule an appointment or contact arboreap@arborfamilycounseling.com
Omaha Pride:
https://heartlandpride.org/2023-heartland-pride-festival/
Article Resources:
https://diversity.uiowa.edu/resources/dei-definitions
https://www.bu.edu/articles/2014/bu-research-riddle-reveals-the-depth-of-gender-bias/