Why it's so important to create LGBTQI+ safe spaces, and how to do it.
June is LGBTQI+ Pride month, and to celebrate, we have had a chat with some of our member organisations to discuss three important questions:
Why is it important to create spaces that are welcoming and safe for Queer/LGBTQI+ people?
How have they created a safe space for Queer/LGBTQI+ people?
What advice do they have for organisations to create safer and inclusive spaces?
A safe space is defined as “a place or environment in which a person or category of people can feel confident that they will not be exposed to discrimination, criticism, harassment, or any other emotional or physical harm”.
We spoke to Hannah (she/they) from Bike for Good, Rachel (she/they) from Rumpus Room, and Joe (she/her) from pink peacock די ראָזעווע פּאַווע. We’ve also abbreviated a blog post from Feminist Exchange Network website, you can read their full piece here.
Throughout the responses the terms LGBTQI+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex plus, the plus stands for the whole spectrum of gender identities and sexualities) and Queer are used interchangeably to refer to individuals who are part of this community. Check out this handy glossary from the Safe Zone for a full list of terms and definitions relating to the LGBTQI+ community.
At the bottom of this page there is a list of training, resources, and helpful organisations who can support your organisation in becoming a safer and more inclusive space for LGBTQI+ people.
Why is it important to create spaces that are welcoming and safe for Queer/LGBTQI+ people?
Bike for Good
“Having explicit queer spaces highlights to people that we are a safe space for them, and they won’t be discriminated against in our space. Ideally, we wouldn’t have to have exclusive spaces, and at Bike for Good we are working towards that, but in the meantime we need to have spaces that are, mainly so people know that they are actively included and welcomed in these spaces.”
Rumpus Room
“Because there are so many queer people! As a queer person myself I couldn’t not make a welcoming and inclusive space. We are not specifically a queer space, but we have always made it very clear that queer, trans and LGBTQI+ people of all ages are very welcome at Rumpus Room. We want everyone to feel like they can be themselves when they come to a space like this, and their gender identity and sexuality will never be a barrier to that, in fact, we want to build confidence and nourish relationships with those people”
pink peacock די ראָזעווע פּאַווע
“Inclusion is an active thing, you can’t just not be homophobic, and expect queer people to know that or feel comfortable using your space”.
Feminist Exchange Network
Creating safe spaces for queer people, particularly transgendered women in feminist spaces like the Feminist Exchange Network, is important for true equality for all. There is a collective responsibility to challenge the current system and the oppression it creates for women, people of colour, and queer people. Creating safe spaces for all is a way of collectively moving forward to a fairer and kinder future.
How have you created a safe space for Queer/LGBTQI+ people?
Bike for Good
“We started by looking at gender and recognising that the bike industry is very cisgender male dominated, and we recognise that we needed to have sessions for women and nonbinary people. By using language and descriptions that explicitly refer to non-binary and trans people we have been able to communicate who is welcome.”
“We see creating a safe space as an ongoing thing, and our staff and volunteers go through training on multiple things (including race, disability and LGBTQI+ awareness) to understand how to create and uphold a safe space. We also have an external diversity auditor to currently reviewing our current policies and continue to improve our service.”
Rumpus Room
“We have made our spaces accessible by talking about and making statements, so it is clear queer young people are welcome in our space, particularly important to state trans young people are welcome here. We make this obvious through our language.”
“We have a library resource (Banshee Books, a resource of Queer, Questioning and Anti-Racist materials) that has books for queer young people that they can get lost in, that offers something different from most young person’s literature.”
pink peacock די ראָזעווע פּאַווע
“When we started we went through our objectives as an organisation, and then focused on different types accessibility and looked up resources and training for each. Inclusive spaces should be inclusive of everyone; an organisation should think about all levels of safety and access for people, like disabled access, or travel expenses to access a service. This to me says they are making a consideration for all types of accessibility.”
Feminist Exchange Network
Creating safe spaces for queer people is part of a wider fight for equality, and the Feminist Exchange Network have created a space that allows people to come together, be themselves, and share their stories freely. When they run events like their football match, they make sure that they use inclusive language when advertising what they do, so transwomen and non-binary people know that the space welcomes and supports them.
What advice do you have for organisations to create safer and inclusive spaces?
Bike for Good
“It’s important to show that you are explicitly LGBT friendly by having visual and written indicators of this. For example, having a LGBT or Trans flag up in your space, or making it very clear when you advertise events that they are for queer people”
“People in the organisation need to be aware of LGBTQI+ issues, and if you are going to run a LGBTQI+ group or event, ideally it will be facilitated by a person who is a member of the community the event is for (eg non binary facilitator for a non binary group), so that they have an understanding of people’s needs, and so they can create a truly safe and inclusive space.”
“It’s important to look at what processes are in place for if someone doesn’t feel safe, as well as how you deal with a situation between service users”
“It’s likely that there will be issues with diversifying a space, but the important thing to remember is that you might be excluding people who really need your services by not actively creating a safe space for queer people. We have managed this by making sure there is clear communication with all our services users, and that any situations are dealt with in a sensitive way, and it is possible to navigate these situations positively. We also recognise it as an ongoing process”
Rumpus Room
“When you create a safe space make sure it actually is, don’t advertise the space as safe if the awareness and physical space aren’t actually inclusive. This is includes things like everyone stating their pronouns when they introduce themselves, including staff and volunteers, and having gender-neutral toilets.”
“Some queer people do not necessarily want to label themselves/their gender/sexual identity, and it’s important to be mindful of this. You could be working with someone who is working things out still and doesn’t feel comfortable with labelling themselves. The main thing is to respect an individual in what they ask of you in that process, and recognising that things can change for them”
“Know other organisations to signpost to and recognise the capacity you have as an organisation to support queer people, and where other organisations have the necessary expertise and support.”
“Access training available to help you understand LGBT issues and how to actively include them in your spaces”
pink peacock די ראָזעווע פּאַווע
“Consider what about your space is off putting, and really think about how you are as an employer and organisation, access training to help you make the changes. Hire queer people if you want to run queer specific activities”
“If you’re opening up a space and making it an inclusive and safe space, you have to be to be aware that people will use that space who have certain vulnerabilities. It’s really important to make sure you can sign post these people to appropriate services, and that you have safeguarding in place so your staff aren’t overloaded.”
Feminist Exchange Network
It’s vitally important that you make it clear you are inclusive and a safe space and include this as part of your organisational framework. The Feminist Exchange Network are a Community Interest Company, and have included a statement in their articles, stating that they advocate for a feminist approach to economics that is transgender and non-binary inclusive and promotes care of all people and the planet.
Thank you to Bike for Good, Rumpus Room, pink peacock די ראָזעווע פּאַווע, and the Feminist Exchange Network for their insight and time.
There are lots of resources available online, and organisations that can support you with training and signposting, many of whom have specific resources on creating a safe space for Queer people in diverse and complex settings. See the list below for some of these: