On June 30th, 2017, 211OC hosted an LGBT Sensitivity Training session presented by the LGBTQ Center of Long Beach and learned a lot about how to best serve our LGBTQ clients experiencing homelessness. Please feel free to look through the slides that were presented today to get a feel for what we discussed.
In a nutshell, here are some best practices that we went over:
- Service providers should affirm and accept clients’ identities without invasive questioning or invalidation. This lines up with HUD’s guidance for data elements 3.4 Race, 3.5 Ethnicity, and 3.6 Gender which specify in the HMIS Data Standards manual that “staff observations should not be used to collect information” on race, gender, or ethnicity.
- In order to foster a safe environment, our agencies should be actively affirming of LGBTQ clients. Our presenters told us that LGBTQ clients are very likely to check out a provider’s website before accessing services, and that seeing a small rainbow icon or some other indicator on the website that the agency is a safe place for LGBTQ clients makes them feel more comfortable approaching the agency for services. LGBTQ clients generally do not assume they will be treated with compassion so adding an affirming icon or banner to your website is a great way to let LGBTQ clients know they are welcome before they take that big step first of contacting an agency to ask for help. Prominent LGBTQ affirming signage in your physical offices or any place clients might seek help are also very helpful.
- Laws and regulations do not provide LGBTQ clients with complete protections. For example, although same sex marriage is legal federally, some states and counties continue to resist granting LGBTQ people marriage licenses. Just because anti-discrimination laws exist does not mean that discrimination against LGBTQ people has disappeared. In order to help enforce these legal protections, it is important that agencies have anti-discrimination policies in place and make supporting LGBTQ clients an ongoing conversation inside the agency.
- If you have questions, the LGBTQ Center of Long Beach is happy to help! In the very last slide of the presentation you will find contact information for today’s presenter, Joel Gemino. You can reach Joel by email at jgemino@centerlb.org or by phone at (562) 434-4455 ex. 227. Joel is happy to help any service provider who has questions or concerns about serving LGBTQ clients.
Thanks so much to everyone who was able to make it to this training!