6 Ways to Let LGBTQ+ Victims Know Your Office is a Safe Space

As advocates, we work with a variety of individuals from a variety of backgrounds. Each person has specific needs and desired outcomes for their court case. Some want the maximum punishment, others just wish it would all go away. A majority of victims are somewhere in the middle - they want some type of justice, but in a way that doesn’t inconvenience them.

For LGBTQ+ victims, like with many identity groups, there are specific ways in which we can best serve them. As a marginalized group of individuals, the LGBTQ+ community was often shunned away from seeking help through the justice system, mainly because their lifestyle was outlawed for many years. In fact, there are some states that still have anti-sodomy laws still on the books. Because members of the LGBTQ+ community continue to experience marginalization, it’s important that advocates ensure our spaces feel welcoming and safe for any survivor or their family members that walk in.

There are still many stigmas surrounding the LGBTQ+ community, which tends to mean those members don’t come to system-based organizations to receive assistance. As advocates, we can create an environment where survivors feel their specific community needs are addressed in a way that doesn’t ostracize them. Here are some simple ways you can let LGBTQ+ community members know your office is a safe space!

• Place a SafeZone sticker on the front door. Some school systems started to implement this, and now many businesses and organizations around the nation do this as well. A SafeZone sticker is something you place on your door to indicate to others that they can safely speak with you about their identity without worrying you’ll out them to others or judge them for their identity. Place a SafeZone sticker on the front door of your office to let survivors know that the entire advocacy office is a safe space for them.

• Display preferred pronouns at each advocates’ door/nameplate. Most offices have signs that indicate who is in which office. Underneath each placard, consider adding an additional sign - or even a laminated place card - with each advocate’s preferred pronouns. That way, when survivors (or even staff from other agencies!) walk into your individual office space, they know how to address you. In the same way individuals with PhDs and doctorates place their title at the front of their name plate, we can place our own pronouns.

• Put LGBTQ+ friendly magazines in your lobby. Lobbies can be scary - especially for an attorney’s office. For many survivors, coming in for a prosecution interview isn’t something they have to do every day, so it’s important that they feel comfortable. LGBTQ+ survivors need to see that your office doesn’t just promote the standard nuclear family - instead of only placing out Parents or other magazines that focus on the ‘normal’ family, incorporate magazines from LGBTQ+ friendly publishers, such as Out or The Advocate. Pro tip: Don’t just place all the LGBTQ+ items on their own table or label the slot on your magazine organizer as ‘LGBTQ+.’ That defeats the purpose! You’re integrating the items so they feel natural, not separated.

• Incorporate LGBTQ+ resources with the other resources in your office. Do you have a place within your office where you put all your brochures and contact cards for other organizations? If so, you should also put LGBTQ+ resources! Whether it’s for your local LGBTQ+ life center or HIV testing through your local hospital, incorporating these resources and information with all the other information you provide or display in your office will go a long way in making LGBTQ+ survivors more comfortable in your space. Since the resources will be seamlessly integrated with your other items, it won’t feel forced or integrated in a negative way!

• Avoid prefixes with peoples’ names. Unless the prefix is gender neutral/indicative of a profession (eg, Dr.), avoid labelling offices as ‘Mr.’ or ‘Ms.’ Instead, using first and last names will help to make your LGBTQ+ survivors feel more comfortable in your office. If you provide your preferred pronouns on your door, then your LGBTQ+ survivors will know how to address you without assuming the prefix you use matches your gender identity.

• Smile! It can seem like a daunting task to transform your office into a safe space. However, most advocates already cultivate a safe space for their clients without even realizing it! As long as we’re consciously making an effort to support our clients in the best ways we can, then we’re doing our jobs. Rather than feeling anxious, take a few calming breaths and smile! We’re all works in progress, and treating each other with respect and dignity is exactly how we’re supposed to be.