LGBTQ Civic Spaces: Business For GOOD, GOOD For Business
BY MARTHA HENDERSON AND FERNANDO LOPEZ
It’s no secret that hiding in the closet has long-lasting damaging ef- fects on LGBTQ individuals’ mental and physical health. The contin- uous micro-social impact of having to hide one’s identity in the work space and in public has reverberating macro-social and economic im- plications. Civic spaces where people can be authentically themselves as out LGBTQ persons are still few and far between, thus making the work and civic spaces not only tolerate but celebrate those in margin- and societal levels. These reasons and more highlight the importance of having LGBTQ-community events within our venue spaces—they positively impact not just those in the LGBTQ community but every- one in the community at large.
at the San Diego County Fair by a local gay DJ who performed at the event and invited friends and community members to attend. These modest beginnings sparked an idea within an out lesbian employee and event manager at the San Diego County Fair, Martha Henderson. She reached out to San Diego Pride, who for decades had been putting on OUT at the Park, an LGBTQ baseball day with the San Diego Pa- dres. Martha knew that if the SD Fair and SD Pride could pool their resources that the sum would be greater than its parts. By bringing these two groups together, Pride was able to expand and legitimize the new OUT at the Fair event. While the Fair had the event, with San Diego Pride on board, the Fair was able to gain access to a list of all of the regional LGBTQ-serving organizations and was able to create a resource area for the community to enjoy. The Fair organizations were supported logistically, and 2) that they were able to participate in the event without having their budgets burdened. This support added meaningful value in two ways: it provided basic access to information for non-LGBTQ attendees, and it lent LGBTQ credi- bility to the Fair. From an entertainment standpoint, both San Diego Pride and the original founding DJ Will Z were able to use their networks of LGBTQ artists to ensure that the talent performing throughout the OUT at the Fair event was diverse and representative of the broad spectrum of the LGBTQ community. From live acts, to hosts, drag queens, game show-style segments, and DJs, the family-friendly entertainment was well rounded and had something for all attendees to enjoy. The Fair had marketing dollars, San Diego Pride had an extensive
as a result, the event has grown over the years with more and more
crafting messages to market your events, because a failure to properly address the LGBTQ community or to show authenticity in marketing materials can be harmful. Steps like eliminating gendered language LGBTQ individuals, couples, and families are key to ensuring poten- tial attendees feel welcomed and are seen in a positive light. Having relevant décor helps LGBTQ attendees feel like the space is being intentionally created for them. This can be done with signage using phrases like “San Diego County Fair Welcomes Our LGBTQ add color and vibrancy and let attendees know where LGBTQ re- sources and events are located within the venue space. Remember that - - looked in your region. From the civil rights era to today, bathroom prohibition has been one
of the most demeaning tactics used to dehumanize segments of Amer- that we’ve found is that all families enjoy using these facilities because doing so allows parents of all genders to tend to their children’s needs regardless of the child’s gender and without having to split up their families. The San Diego County Fair’s restroom facility execution went to make the inclusive change. Even the San Diego Padres asked for help and guidance on creating gender-neutral, multi-stall restrooms after being connected to San Diego Pride. In April 2017, the Padres multi-stall restrooms in their ball park. Making some of these changes may seem challenging since not all
of us are experts on LGBTQ issues and policies. That is why part- serving the LGBTQ community that do so with care and intention, - sume people’s genders, taking care to use proper pronouns, and other culturally sensitive language are critical. “San Diego Pride has an entire department dedicated to advoca- cy and education. They helped us develop a comprehensive set of LGBTQ policies and helped us create two gender-neutral, multi-stall restrooms for OUT at the Fair,” Henderson said. “Equally as import- members asked to speak to the group and subsequently came out to tell
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