‘Pride Month is not just for the LGBTQ+ community’: Emily and Eleanor Pittard discuss what Pride Month really means, why it’s important, and how practices and labs can show their support.
Stop! Don’t click off or scroll past this article because you don’t think this is for you.
We promise that if you get to the end, you’ll learn something – and you might realise why pride is for everyone.
On the off chance that you haven’t noticed, it is Pride Month. There are rainbows everywhere and a general feeling of peace, love, and inclusion.
You would think that, working in dentistry, we would be used to acronyms. Often when we talk to our family and friends about teeth, we fall into ‘MOD’ this, ‘PA’ that and don’t even get me started on ‘MH’ and ‘TTPs’.
So, why do some of us still struggle with the ever-evolving LGBTQ+? Is it because it is ‘ever evolving’? Or is it because some of us fear what we don’t truly understand?
What does Pride Month mean?
Pride Month serves as an annual celebration of LGBTQ+ diversity – embracing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer identities.
This commemoration originated from the historic Stonewall riots in June 1969, a pivotal moment in the fight for gay rights. Since then, events have been held worldwide to recognise and support LGBTQ+ individuals.
While Pride Month initially started in the United States, it has now become an international extravaganza!
You identify as straight, so the ‘LGBT-LMNOQ’ doesn’t apply to you or the dental business you work in or own? Wrong. So wrong.
According to the most recent census in England and Wales, approximately 3.2% of the population identified with an LGB+ sexual orientation, or approximately 1.5 million people.
In the same census, 0.5% of the population, around 262,000 people, identified with a different sex from the one they were registered with at birth. The actual size of the UK’s LGBTQ+ community is likely much larger than these figures indicate, due to the voluntary nature of these questions, and the fact the survey only counted those aged 16 or over.
A recent survey of generations in Great Britain suggested that only 71% of generation Z identified as being straight, for example.
In the same survey, when the question was about attraction rather than identity, just over half of generation Z said they were exclusively attracted to the opposite sex. This is compared with 61% of millennials, 71% of generation X, and 77% of baby boomers.
Pride is for everyone
In a recent poll more than a third of LGBTQ+ staff (35%) have hidden that they are LGBT at work for fear of discrimination. According to the most recent GDC statistics, only 1% of dentists identify as a gay man or bisexual, with none identifying as a gay woman.
We personally know a few female dentists who identify as gay in their private lives but do not feel confident to be ‘out’ at work. We can speculate as to why this may be, but it would be just that – speculation. One thing is clear, there is still a stigma and concern about living your authentic self in dentistry.
This is where pride does apply to all. You may be a forward-thinking business who has actively developed an inclusive workplace and gone out of your way to show your support for the community.
Or you may simply have made your logo pride-themed, which still shows support.
However, it is worth noting that in 2020, half of Brits noticed brands making their logos pride-themed in June and only a quarter of them believed that the companies’ support for pride was genuine.
How can you show support for Pride Month?
So, what are ways in which you can show your support all year round but especially in Pride month:
- Start with making your logo ‘pride-themed’ – it’s an easy one to start with, but don’t stop there!
- Social media posts about pride or LGBTQ+ issues, raising concerns and awareness
- Sell pride-branded products (Spotlight Oral Care have their own pride range)
- Fundraise for a pledge to donate to local LGBTQ+ charities
- Publicise your inclusivity and discrimination policies
- Join a pride walk as a business and let your community know you are supporting them.
Of course, it goes much deeper than this. Pride month is important because it raises awareness of a community that is still underrepresented, endures daily discrimination and faces criminal charges in over 70 countries and the death penalty in over nine.
Educate yourself
This is why it is so important that everyone gets involved – educate yourself about the discrimination and injustice. Because we guarantee that you have either worked with or are working with someone from the community right now.
Be the change that helps to create a safe space for someone to live their life authentically. If you are an employer, develop a robust anti-discrimination policy and breathe it into your company.
If you are an employee, help to enact it or prompt your employers to make this a priority.
- Call out discrimination, prejudice and harassment when you see it – stand up for those who may not feel their voice is as valued
- Be a shoulder to cry on and listen without judgement
- Educate yourself by asking questions, reading books or listening to podcasts
- Develop support programs like employee resource groups to ensure open and consistent dialogue to improve company culture
- Offer equal benefits to all employees: gendered language can cause parental benefits to unintentionally exclude LGBTQ+ families, so favour gender-neutral terms
- Use the correct pronouns.
And know that pride is not just for the LGBTQ+ community to celebrate, it is for their allies to celebrate as well. It is an understanding that we are all different, and that’s okay.
Catch up with the previous Technically Speaking columns:
- Recruitment and utilising the existing team
- Den-Tech: a charity for dental technicians
- How to solve recruitment issues
- Let’s talk business
- Addressing mental health.
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