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On August 8, the JCCM held an Instagram Live to mark the Montreal Pride festival. Among the themes proposed were the importance of representation in the corporate world, the notion of intersectionality, the concept of micro-aggressions, and inclusive and gendered writing.
Olivia Baker, Program Manager at Fondation Émergence, Charles Saliba-Couture, Content Editor at Les mots pour la cause, and Chloé Saintesprit, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Manager at Plus Company, discussed the many issues surrounding under-represented communities and LGBTQ+ people.
Whether in the film or advertising industry, or even in popular culture, the importance of representativeness is unanimously recognized. Even more important is the way in which the LGBTQ+ community is represented in mainstream media, and the abolition of stereotypes. According to Charles Saliba-Couture, it's vital that popular culture doesn't reproduce stereotypes, but rather deconstructs them.
In the workplace, despite visible signs of progress, many challenges remain. Indeed, a McKinsey study on The State of the LGBTQ+ Community in the Workplace demonstrates the issues facing this community.
Among the statistics highlighted are:
LGBTQ+ women - particularly women of color - are far more likely to be the only representation in their workplace;
LGBTQ+ women and trans people are under-represented at all stages of the management pipeline.
Olivia Baker of Fondation Émergence also shares an interesting piece of data, claiming that 32% of LGBTQ+ people hesitate before coming out in a corporate environment for fear of damaging their careers.
As a result, having openly LGBTQ+ people at different hierarchical levels clearly improves an organization's sense of inclusion and security.
Chloé Saintesprit, responsable de l'équité, de la diversité et de l'inclusion chez Plus Company
The term "microaggression" was first used in 1970 by Chester M. Pierce, psychiatrist and professor at Harvard University, to describe the insults and injustices suffered by African-Americans.
Over time, the term has evolved to mean the internalized reflection of homophobia, transphobia, racism, sexism, grossophobia, ageism and other types of discrimination. Based on prejudice, microaggressions are not always easy to perceive, since they can be both intentional and unconscious.
In the same vein, Charles Saliba-Couture explains that a micro-aggression may be micro in form, but the impact becomes macro as the action is repeated.
Charles Saliba-Couture, content writer at Les mots pour la cause
Inclusive writing is not a new concept, and it's increasingly being integrated into everyday language and the professional sphere. But what are we really referring to when we speak of inclusive writing? First of all, we need to understand the nuances that exist between epicene writing, non-binary writing and other writing methods.
Epicene writing makes it possible to generalize and neutralize the sentence in order to avoid mentioning gender in a text. By opting for "Bonjour tout le monde" instead of "Bonjour à toutes et à tous", we avoid a form of exclusion.
Non-binary writing, often used by the LGBTQ+ community, takes a different approach, creating neologisms and new words to promote inclusion. Examples include celleux, toustes, etc.
One of the aims of inclusive writing is not only to demasculinize language, but also to make gender non-essential. As a result, since this type of writing affects over 50% of the population, it is a real demonstration of recognition and respect.
As a company, in addition to inclusive writing, it is also possible to add the pronouns of staff employed in the email signature. The aim? Better orient your writing to the person you're addressing. As Charles Saliba-Couture so aptly put it: "Inclusive writing isn't just a way of writing, it's also a way of thinking and conceiving the world and others."
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