Being a 2SLGBTQIA+ Positive Professional
Creating inclusive workplaces where 2SLGBTQIA+ employees feel safe, affirmed, and valued is essential for organizational health. When employees feel safe enough to bring their full selves to work, they’re more engaged, more collaborative, and more likely to stay. That’s because inclusion leads to stronger communication, increased trust within teams, and better retention. The reality is that companies prioritizing equity and belonging also see improvements in productivity and innovation. In short, the business case for inclusion is clear: workplaces that are psychologically safe for everyone perform better—ethically, socially, and financially.
Despite progress for Queer inclusion, discrimination, exclusion, and harm remain common for 2SLGBTQIA+ professionals in Canada. Consider these facts:
1 in 4 2SLGBTQIA+ employees report facing workplace discrimination (Egale Canada, 2023)
Trans and gender-diverse people experience unemployment at twice the national average (Pride at Work Canada, 2022)
Just 43% of queer employees feel safe being out at work (CCDI, 2023)
These numbers are alarming, but they can be changed! Inclusive workplace practices must evolve from reactive policies to proactive, embedded culture shifts. To truly support inclusion, we must first acknowledge how colonialism and past harms have shaped current systems of exclusion. Two-Spirited people, for example, have long held sacred and respected roles in Indigenous cultures across Turtle Island. Recognizing pre-colonial gender diversity is essential to building workplaces that don’t just include—but also affirm and celebrate—those identities today.
Tools for Building a Safer Workplace Culture
Here’s how you and your organization can take action today to become a 2SLGBTQIA+ Professional:
1. Inclusive Language Matters
Use gender-neutral language (e.g., “partner” instead of “husband/wife,” “they”, “Chair”) instead of assuming pronouns
Normalize pronoun sharing in email signatures, meetings, and onboarding
Audit all forms and systems for binary gender options and expand where needed. For example: woman, man, non-binary, gender non-confirming, queer, prefer to self identify
2. Policy and Infrastructure
Offer gender-neutral washrooms and inclusive change rooms
Ensure employee benefits are inclusive of all family structures and transition-related care
Provide formal non-discrimination policies that name sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression
3. Culture and Leadership
Model active allyship from the top down AND down up
Invest in professional development that includes 2SLGBTQIA+ perspectives
Create employee resource groups or safe spaces for dialogue and peer support
Address microaggressions and bias when they occur—with accountability, NOT avoidance
4. Forms of Respect and Inclusion
Ask for and use people’s pronouns
Avoid assumptions about family, relationships, or identity
Include 2SLGBTQIA+ voices in program design, decision-making, and leadership
5. Continue Learning
Practicing ongoing self-education about gender, sexuality, and identity
Continue professional development that focuses on creating and maintaining a workplace that centers equity and psychological safety
Interrupt heteronormativity, cisnormativity, and all forms of bias and discrimination
Interested to learn more? Visit our other pages or contact Curated Leadership to learn more about our 2SLGBTQIA+ workplace education and allyship sessions, DEI policy audits and inclusive language guides, and Leadership coaching with an equity lens. We customize learning experiences for your teams and organizations.
