3 veterinarians define the nuts and bolts of LGBTQ+ allyship, plus offer strategies for nurturing an inclusive environment.
Supporting your veterinary team starts by cultivating a more accepting, diverse, and inclusive workspace that everyone can flourish in.
“It makes a tremendous amount of impact to know that someone sees you for who you authentically are and that they support you in that,” said Dane Whitaker, DVM, MPVM, president of PrideVMC, about showing allyship.
At the 2021 virtual Veterinary Meeting & Expo (VMX), Whitaker along with Abby McElroy, DVM, MS, president-elect of PrideVMC, and Deborah T. Kochevar, DVM, PhD, DACVCP, PrideVMC board member, discuss the significance of allyship and how to “show up” for the LGBTQ+ population. The trio highlights 3 methods for demonstrating your support in the veterinary community, and beyond.
Whitaker highlights ways for incorporating the methods listed above to display allyship specifically in the veterinary profession:
According to Kochevar, to be an ally and friend to LGBTQ+ colleagues, it is essential to understand the key traits of what makes an ally. She pinpoints the following characteristics:
“When I think of being an ally and being a friend, these rules apply pretty much to all your interactions, it’s almost the golden rule,” said Kochevar. “If you feel you’re being treated well and you behave that way towards others, then you’re usually on pretty solid ground.”
McElroy explains that educating and familiarizing yourself with common LGBTQ+ associated terms is another great way to show allyship. Especially when using the terms correctly. “While people often lump these [terms] together, they are very different,” she added.
To help, McElroy provided attendees with common terms and their definitions:
“There are a lot of terms associated with the LGBTQ+ community and we know they’re confusing when you’re first learning about the community. I think people become very anxious about using the wrong term. We want to allay some of these fears and explain some of these terms,” explained McElroy.
One of the most important things you can do to demonstrate your understanding of personal pronouns is to properly use pronouns and address others by their correct pronouns. According to Whitaker, this action demonstrates your awareness of why pronouns are important to the LGBTQ+ community. “Respecting someone’s pronouns is one of most basic ways to show you respect their gender identity,” said Whitaker.
Additionally, he adds that although “they/them/theirs” are the most common gender-neutral pronouns, it’s crucial to be mindful that sometimes people create their own pronouns.
To help attendees practice appropriate allyship, Whitaker outlined several general rules regarding the do's and don’ts of pronoun use.
He advises getting into the habit of introducing yourself with your pronouns. This can be done in a variety of ways including verbal form, written form, or with an email signature, business card, or name tag in the veterinary practice.
Conversely, Whitaker urges not to put others on the spot by asking their pronouns unless you ask everyone because some might not be as comfortable with their pronouns yet. Instead, he encourages you to lead the conversation with your own pronouns as this can invite others to follow with their pronouns if they wish. He also mentions not to refer to your pronouns as “preferred pronouns,” because this implies that using these pronouns is optional.
Whitaker notes that it is okay to make mistakes—they happen to everyone and the best course of action to take if this occurs is to apologize and move on. Gender privilege is not having to worry about the pronoun(s) someone will label you with; to be an ally, it’s vital to understand your privilege and stand up for others who may not have the same.
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