2024 LGBTIQ+ Workplace Inclusion Symposium

2024 LGBTIQ+ Workplace Inclusion Symposium

Unlock the power of inclusivity at this year’s LGBTIQ+ Workplace Inclusion Symposium, featuring keynote presentations by dr. Erin Cech (University of Michigan, USA) and Prof.dr. Jojanneke van der Toorn (Leiden University, NL) delving into the latest cutting-edge research on LGBTIQ+ inclusion. A panel including researchers and D&I professionals from the public and private sector will furthermore reflect on the research findings and recommendations, and share concrete examples of how organizations can build inclusive environments. Connect with fellow attendees over coffee and tea, fostering meaningful relationships with like-minded individuals committed to driving positive change in their respective organizations. Join us in this critical dialogue to make a difference and foster a workplace where everyone can belong and bring their authentic selves.

Date: Thursday, September 5th
Time: 10.00-13.00
Location: Telders Auditorium, Rapenburg 73, Leiden

Registration

The event is in-person but will be streamed and recorded for those not able to attend. Please register using the registration form. 

Organisers

This event is organised by Jojanneke van der Toorn in collaboration with Academia@WorkplacePride. We can be contacted at [email protected]

Accessibility

We would like the symposium to be accessible to everyone. We hope the absence of a participation fee and the possibility to view a live stream contribute to this. Please note that the symposium location is wheelchair accessible. We will make sure to ask the speakers to articulate clearly. We very much welcome your suggestions for how we can be more inclusive.

Program

10:00-10:30       Doors open and registration
10:30-12:00       Symposium 

• Welcome
  Michiel Kolman, Senior Vice President at Elsevier and Co-chair of Workplace Pride. Jojanneke van der Toorn, Professor of LGBTIQ+ Workplace Inclusion at Leiden University
• The contours and contexts of LGBTIQ+ workforce inequality and how to confront them
  Dr. Erin Cech, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Michigan, USA
• To be professional is to be straight?: Heteroprofessionalism at Work
  Prof.dr. Jojanneke van der Toorn, Professor of LGBTIQ+ Workplace Inclusion at Leiden University

• Reflections and illustrations from the field  
  Panel discussion, moderated by Kshitij Mor, PhD candidate at Utrecht University[MOU1] 
• Closing and presentation of the Academia@Workplace Pride program for the academic year 2024/2025
  Michiel Kolman, Senior Vice President at Elsevier and Co-chair of Workplace Pride

12.00-13.00        Coffee and Tea

The contours and contexts of LGBTIQ+ workforce inequality and how to confront them

Dr. Erin Cech (Department of Sociology at the University of Michigan)

How does LGBTIQ+ inequality manifest in the workforce? This talk will begin with an overview of the various ways this inequality can show up: disadvantages can emerge not only in feelings of social marginalization, but in a lack of professional respect and opportunities and even negative health and wellness outcomes. I discuss the kinds of work contexts that can amplify or undermine these inequalities, using the science and tech sector as a case. I end by discussing the cultural “rhetorics of resistance” that employees and organization leaders sometimes use to block LGBTIQ+-inclusive diversification efforts and strategies for confronting those rhetorics.

To be professional is to be straight?: Heteroprofessionalism at work

Prof.dr. Jojanneke van der Toorn (Institute of Psychology at Leiden University)

This talk explores the intricate dynamics of heteroprofessionalism in the workplace, focusing on the repercussions of possessing and disclosing an LGBTIQ+ identity on employees’ well-being and career trajectories. It delves into how disclosing a queer identity can be a double-edged sword, with disclosure perceived as unprofessional while concealment is seen as dishonest. The talk also addresses the diverse experiences within different subgroups of the LGBTIQ+ community, underscoring the complex challenges faced by LGBTIQ+ individuals in professional settings, and advocates for inclusive organizational policies that support authenticity and professional equality for LGBTIQ+ employees.

“For us to solve these deeply culturally entrenched problems, we have to restructure the very idea of what it means to be a professional” – Dr. Erin Cech (University of Michigan)

This quote nicely summarises the key message of last week’s LGBTIQ+ Workplace Inclusion Symposium at Leiden University, marking the opening of the Academia@WorkplacePride year.

The symposium was opened by Michiel Kolman , Workplace Pride co-chair and Academia@WorkplacePride Lead who highlighted the increasing importance of bridging science and practice given the worrying trends in lgbtiq+ acceptance near and far.

In her keynote, Erin A. Cech provided an overview of the various ways that LGBTIQ+ inequality can show up in the workplace: disadvantages can emerge not only in feelings of social marginalisation, but in a lack of professional respect and opportunities and even negative health and wellness outcomes. She discussed the kinds of work contexts that can amplify or undermine these inequalities, using the science and tech sector as a case, and ended by discussing the cultural “rhetorics of resistance” that employees and organisation leaders sometimes use to block LGBTIQ+-inclusive diversification efforts and strategies for confronting those rhetorics.

In my keynote, I further discussed the implications of heteronormativity at work by discussing the concept of heteroprofessionalism, or the norm that to be professional is to be cisgender and straight. I presented recent research findings demonstrating how disclosing a queer identity can be a double-edged sword, with disclosure perceived as unprofessional while concealment is seen as dishonest. I also addressed the specific challenges experienced bi+ employees, and what can be done to mitigate these.

Then, a panel consisting of Melati Tamsma, Pascale Wautelet, and Roos Beerkens PhD, and moderated by Kshitij Mor reflected on the keynotes, offering insights and examples from their diverse workplaces.

Many thanks to the audience for participating in the symposium, the speakers, moderator, and panelists for sharing their insights, and Christine Holtkamp, Chenhao Zhou and Paula Hoffmann for their tireless efforts behind the scenes towards making the symposium a success!

On behalf of Leiden University, Workplace Pride, and the organising team,

Prof.dr. Jojanneke van der Toorn

www.jvandertoorn.com

You can download the Symposium Slides here!