Lillian Rae Dunlap, Ph.D.
Posted on 8/27/2002, 4:33:34 PM by NativeNewYorker
Can the gay and lesbian journalists on your staff be open?
Don't get me wrong. All gay and lesbian journalists don't want to be "out" at work. For some, it's too personal.
But for those who want to be out, is there a welcoming environment for them in your newsroom?
Ninety-two percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) print journalists and 87 percent of broadcast journalists said that they were out in their newsrooms.
The study of 363 journalists was conducted by the USC Annenberg School for Communication and the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) in 2000 to mark the tenth anniversary of a similar study. The number of "out" journalists in the second study represents a big increase over the earlier one.
Out or not, gay and lesbian colleagues bring talent and life experience to your newsroom and your newsgathering. You can benefit from both and enhance your workplace environment at the same time. Here are some suggestions inspired by the survey:
• Show a commitment to fairness in the workplace regardless of sexual orientation. Be sure that people understand your decision process.
• Use inclusive language in your conversations with the staff. Include the term 'partner' along with 'spouse' or 'significant other.'
• Show a commitment to domestic partnership benefits. It shows that your definition of family includes partners.
• Let the staff know that jokes, slurs, and other anti-gay behavior have no place in the organization.
Researchers for the NLGJA study were pleased about the high percentage of respondents who felt they could be out in their newsrooms. But, they noted the high number of anti-gay sentiments reported in some of these same newsrooms.
• "Derogatory slurs by colleagues are still heard in the workplace at a surprisingly high rate," the researchers said.
• "Nearly half of broadcast respondents reported hearing or experiencing slurs."
Such slurs can seriously undermine your other efforts to provide a welcoming environment for LGBT and other minority journalists. Here are some suggestions to consider:
1. Let your staff know that you value diversity in staffing and news content and that diversity includes LGBT people.
2. Consult LGBT journalists about issues including, but not limited to, traditionally "gay issues" such as stories about AIDS, gay pride week, or homosexuality.
3. Provide opportunities for the entire staff to learn more about LGBT people. Materials are available on the NLGJA website, or in magazines or newspapers that include information for and about gays and lesbians.
Pamela Strother, executive director of NLGJA, suggests that a recent New York Times announcement sent an important message to the LGBT community and journalists. Beginning in September, the Times will print the announcements of same-sex marriages, holy unions, and commitment ceremonies. (See Bob Steele's Aug. 22 Talk About Ethics essay.)
Strother says that the Times isn't the first paper to do this. It follows several papers including The Miami Herald, The San Jose Mercury News, the Minneapolis Star Tribune and The Washington Post. But the Times, with its 1.2 million readers, has the largest circulation.
There's one other significant difference, according to Strother. Unlike The Washington Post, The New York Times will print the paid announcements of same-sex unions next to the heterosexual marriage announcements.
"We have to pay The Washington Post to appear on a different page," she says. "The New York Times is offering us equal treatment on the same page."
Equal treatment, in the news and in the newsroom. That's what your gay and lesbian staff members are looking for from you.
Lillian Rae Dunlap, Ph.D.
Why WOULDN'T they come out? It's a career-enhancing move.
Career-enhancing, yes, and after cosmetic-enchancing surgery.
I'm torn between "conservative" and "Catholic". I'll guess Catholic.
FMCDH
Bingo.
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