Building Bridges through Dialogue: How ICAN is Advancing LGBTQ+ Inclusion and Understanding
30 June, 2024
ICAN staff finished out Pride month by holding an intergenerational conversation at Proctor Park Friday that focused on the LGBTQ+ community and was open to all staff.
Director of Diversity and Inclusion Anasa D. Sinegal and Director of Engagement Brandi Candido led the conversation in hopes of transitioning from more historic ways of stereotyping the gay community to new ways that the gay community is speaking for themselves and working towards self-representation.
The group discussed topics like coming out, gender identity and pronouns and how ICAN staff can continually provide the most updated best practices for clients and their families in the LGBTQ+ community.
One participant in Friday's conversation said the discussion helped reaffirm that it's important to "provide a safe space for [LGBTQ+ clients]."
Another person who attended the talk said they learned that ideas of safety can even be generational. "I learned that for some having access to [the LGBTQ community] and being able to prioritize it for safety [is new]." they said.