November 2022 DEI Committee Blog

The Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Committee was joined in November by Katja Tetzlaff, Program Coordinator at Vanderbilt University’s Office of LGBTQI Life, for a presentation on “Straight Facts About LGBTQI Life.” The purpose of the discussion was to overview basic concepts, answer questions, and explore opportunities for intersectional allyship with the LGBTQIA+ Community. Tetzlaff launched the presentation by reminding us to listen with an open mind: “When it’s not your story to tell, it is your lesson to learn.” This blog shares the key learnings from that generative discussion.

LGBTQIA+ is an initialism that refers to sexuality, gender, or sex-related identities. The plus sign signifies additional ways that people identify, which naturally shift across cultures and over time. For example, many words that used to describe gender and sexual diversity originated as stigmatized labels within the medical community. The history of nonnormative, often shameful labeling informs the shifting terminology we use today. People are finding new ways to understand themselves and communicate it accurately to the broader world. This process is worthy of dignity, patience, and understanding.

Common terms used to describe identities can be organized into three major categories: sex, gender, and sexuality.

• Sex (female, intersex, male) is assigned at birth based on biological and physiological characteristics. Human bodies are complex; there are up to 40 different conditions that comprise the “intersex” identity. Experts estimate that roughly 1.7% of the population is intersex, which is as common as red hair and green eyes! Intersex people are commonly forced into normalization treatments and surgeries. A growing intersex rights movement is pushing for bodily autonomy as part of the broader discourse about gender-affirming care.
• Gender (cisgender, nonbinary, transgender) describes a person’s internal sense of self. Gender is unique to the individual and distinct from bodily traits, self-expression, and others’ perception. Cisgender means that a person’s gender aligns with their sex assigned at birth. Transgender means that a person’s gender does not. Transitioning to affirm gender identity involves social, medical, and legal processes that are often risky and costly. Non-binary is an umbrella term that includes people who embrace multiple genders (genderqueer), move between genders (genderfluid), or do not identify with a gender at all (agender).
• Sexuality (heterosexual, gay) describes both physical and romantic attraction, which often– though not always– overlap. Queer is a multifaceted, catch-all term that refers to all groups that are not cisgender and/or heterosexual, including gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, and aromantic individuals.

Understanding these terms is important – not to change how we may personally think or identify – but to ensure we address one another with respect. We can ensure everyone has the right to self-identify by checking, affirming, and using a person’s preferred language. After all, you wouldn’t refer to a colleague as “Dr.” or “Mrs.” without first verifying their status and personal preference. Similarly, we can show respect when others share their gender, sex, and sexual orientation, including preferred pronouns. Not everyone chooses to publicly disclose or discuss their LGBTQIA+ identities for a number of reasons, including personal safety. Because it signals comfort, awareness, and safety, neutral language is a powerful tool for intersectional LGBTQIA+ allyship.

The current legal protections for LGBTQIA+ people are a patchwork of nondiscrimination policies that impact every stage of life: from prenatal care to postmortem planning. In this context, allyship is more important than ever. Effective allies expand their knowledge about sex, gender, and sexual identities and the unique issues facing the LGBTQIA+ community while creating welcoming environments by using neutral language, asking open-ended questions, accepting if a person doesn’t want to explain, and respecting every person’s right to self-identify.

We welcome all WGR members to join us each month at our DEI Committee meetings! Register here for the next meeting on December 20 rom 11:30 AM–1 PM (ET). For more information on WGR’s DEI Committee, please reach out to dei.wgr@gmail.com.

This month’s blog is authored by DEI Committee Co-Vice Chair Larkin Willis.