Does DEI Belong in the Closet?
Is DEI on the down low strategic or self-defeating in the current climate?
Some leaders say that it's the work that matters, not what we call it. What this argument forgets is that “repackaging” DEI closets the work and, by extension, the legitimate needs of the people whom diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging initiatives are designed to represent and serve.
THE CLOSETING OF DEI
When we in the LGBTQIA2S+ community stay in the closet, it’s because we feel that it isn’t safe for us to come out. In fact, it’s so unsafe that the stress, anxiety, and health-related harms of hiding are preferable to the losses we’d likely face if we were to live openly as our authentic selves.
I know from my own experience how the closet can, paradoxically, provide safety and yet be profoundly unsafe.
What many hetero and cis people don’t realize is that closeting is more than hiding. It can change who we are, stripping our humanity from us by making us feel ashamed, othered, and unequal.
I empathize with those leaders who are committed to the work but sincerely believe that a “lay low” DEI strategy (to quote Shaun Harper) is what this moment requires. In K-12 and higher education in many red states, this may seem like our only legal option.*
REIMAGING THE WORK IN DIFFICULT TIMES
But I’ve worked for too hard and too long to go back in the closet, personally or professionally. At Elisa Glick Consulting, we are proud of the work we’re doing to build cultures of belonging, foster more equitable outcomes, and create more inclusive classrooms and organizations.
➡ ➡ “Smuggling in” in DEI content isn’t my jam. Reconsidering the work (and how we talk about it) for fearful/divided audiences living in difficult times is my jam! 🔥
If you’re looking for a speaker or facilitator who can help you achieve meaningful DEI outcomes in 2024, DM me. Let’s make real change together.
*This post was inspired by Shaun Harper's insightful new article in Forbes, "Why A 'Lay Low' DEI Strategy Is Especially Bad Right Now."
[Image description: A diverse group of people depicted in silhouette. The silhouettes overlap and each individual is represented as a different color of the rainbow. Text reads: “Sustaining Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in Difficult Times.” Image credit: The Human Resource Resource Bulletin https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/sustaining-diversity-equity-inclusion-belonging-difficult-times/
