Blog
We came to the Malieveld, enduring the rain, to make a collective stand against the budget cuts to higher education. Strong and moving, the sense of solidarity. Now, let’s hope it makes an impact.
Image of people protesting with flags on Malieveld The Hague
Photo by Ruthie Pliskin
It was a bit of a shock when it became known on Wednesday that the demonstration against the budget cuts to higher education would not go ahead, but we did not let ourselves be stopped from making our protest heard.
We watched the livestream of speeches in the Thorbeckezaal together and headed out to the campus with our freshly painted signs. No to destruction! 💪🏻
This also made me realize that I have remarkably few red items in the house (the color of WO in actie), except for this cap of my child. Under the motto ‘make academia great again,’ then…
The dates are set! On January 7, January 21, and February 11 (12:00–16:00), the new series of the masterclass "Kijken met een andere bril naar D&I beleid" will take place at historic university locations in Utrecht's city center.
In this three-part masterclass, you’ll work alongside other HR and D&I professionals to transition from isolated D&I initiatives to integrated and systematically developed policies. Using the latest scientific insights and your own policy case, you will be expertly guided by me and my fellow instructors.
Curious? Take a look at the website or watch this video to hear from a former participant.
Yesterday was Coming Out Day, a special (and particularly busy) day each year! The CBS kicked it off with a new report revealing that there are 2.7 million LGBTQIA+ people in the Netherlands.
Barbara Oud from Bi+ Nederland and I were both interviewed about it. I discussed how these kinds of figures can contribute to raising awareness among cis-hetero people, and Barbara talked about the importance for bi+ people to know they are not alone. You can find the article here.
“According to Barbara Oud from Bi+ Nederland, it’s ‘extremely important for bi+ people to see that they are not alone. Even in regional areas, there are people struggling with this, for instance, thinking: I’m the only woman in a relationship with a man who has these feelings or needs. This brings up a lot of loneliness. It helps to see that there are another 1.7 million people dealing with the same thing.’ “
“According to Jojanneke van der Toorn, professor at Leiden University with the special chair in LGBT+ Workplace Inclusion, it’s important to continue monitoring and publishing these figures. ‘It’s easy to underestimate how many people we’re talking about’, she says. ‘There should be policies, recognition, and appreciation even for smaller groups, but when people realize that they probably know a lot of LGBTQIA+ people themselves, it can help with acceptance.’ '“
To be professional is to be straight?! An often implicit though entrenched norm in organizations. Want to know more? Download a free copy of our newest article on heteroprofessionalism until Nov 14th.
Abstract: LGBTQ + people continue to face bias and discrimination in the workplace. In this article, we focus on one subtle yet insidious manifestation of such bias: heteroprofessionalism. In workplace contexts, professionalism is generally encouraged. However, what is considered professional is subjective and often shaped by those with high status identities such as cis-heterosexuality. LGBTQ + identities are thus labelled unprofessional and inappropriate for the workplace context. We discuss (1) how heteroprofessionalism can be viewed as a manifestation of assimilation ideology that is employed to reinforce the gender/sex binary and (2) the negative consequences heteroprofessionalism has for members of the LGBTQ + community. We discuss future research directions and end with recommendations for combatting heteroprofessionalism and its harmful consequences.
Last Friday, Miriam Wickham defended her dissertation entitled "Square Peg in a Round Hole. Gender Beyond the Binary" at Utrecht University. It was an insightful and inspiring defense, with a good dose of humor (from both the candidate and the committee). In this interesting and thought-provoking dissertation, Miriam provides much-needed insight into the psychological factors relevant to the societal move away from the gender binary by providing convincing evidence debunking common assumptions (1) that the gender binary is helpful, either as a cognitive heuristic or as a way for us to identify with one another, and (2) that it is natural, in that it is upheld by something innate to humans. I much recommend requesting a copy.
Last Friday, Onur Şahin became Dr. Onur Şahin by successfully defending his dissertation on the relationship between dissimilarity and social inclusion in the workplace. A true milestone on his journey along Academia Road. How fortunate I was to accompany him on this journey as colleague and supervisor, together with Dr. Wiebren Jansen and Naomi Ellemers.
Onur will start a highly coveted position as researcher for the State committee against discrimination and racism next month so stay tuned, as there is certainly more to come!
“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 summarizes 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 marginalization, 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 organization 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 by 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!
Did you miss the symposium this year? A recording can be found here under the Live Stream Recording tab.
Should organizations collect data on the sexual orientation and gender identity of employees? A question I often get asked and one that deserves a nuanced answer.
Read about it now in our latest article (published open-access in the Journal of Social Issues) on the tension between employee inclusion and protection in relation to gathering sexual orientation and gender identity data in the workplace (including practical recommendations and examples from Workplace Pride member organizations)!
"While data collection on sexual orientation and gender identity in workplaces can enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and elevate the visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ+) employees, challenges include the risk of discrimination, privacy concerns, and linguistic complexities." " In this article, we address the complex issue of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data collection in workplaces, highlighting the intricate balance between fostering inclusion and mitigating potential harm and exclusion. This tension manifests uniquely across diverse cultural, legal, and organizational settings. We review existing literature, offer practical guidance for decision-makers, and outline future research avenues."
In collaboration with the wonderful Sofia E. Bracco, Waruguru Gaitho, William Ryan, Sharon Horne, Joel Anderson, and Emily Leskinen.
You can read the article here.
“The government and businesses have a joint objective and Pride Amsterdam is the moment to adjust ambitions. For a truly inclusive labor market, specific attention is needed for every individual letter of the acronym, in particular for the b of bi+.'“
Opinion piece (based on facts) in collaboration with Michiel Kolman published in Volkskrant today.
Photo by Joris van Gennip/ Volkskrant
