What you'll learn:
- Explain core LGBTQIA+ terms and distinguish sexuality, gender identity, expression, and sex assigned at birth.
- Use inclusive language at work, including pronouns and chosen names, without making assumptions.
- Identify microaggressions and respond with respectful, effective bystander intervention.
- Apply intersectionality to understand different LGBTQ+ workplace experiences and barriers.
- Recommend policy and benefits improvements that support LGBTQ+ inclusion (ERGs, facilities, healthcare).
- Describe key U.S. and EU legal protections and how companies can go beyond compliance.
Did you know that nearly half of LGBTQ+ employees still don’t feel safe enough to be out at work? And research shows many LGBTQ+ professionals have left jobs because they couldn’t be themselves.
Even organizations with inclusive mission statements can miss what matters most: day-to-day culture—pronouns, assumptions, microaggressions, and whether people trust leaders and HR to respond when something goes wrong.
This course, Supporting LGBTQ+ Colleagues, is designed to help you turn good intentions into practical workplace actions. Whether you’re an individual contributor, people manager, HR professional, or DEI champion, you’ll learn how to support LGBTQ+ coworkers with clarity, confidence, and respect.
In this course, you’ll learn how to:
Understand LGBTQIA+ identities, terminology, and key concepts (sexual orientation vs. gender identity)
Use inclusive language and handle pronouns and chosen names appropriately
Recognize common workplace challenges, from subtle bias to discrimination
Respond to microaggressions and create psychological safety on your team
Apply an intersectional lens and identify unconscious bias in everyday decisions
Practice real allyship (not performative support) and strengthen support networks/ERGs
Understand policies, benefits, and frameworks that drive inclusion (e.g., HRC CEI, Stonewall)
Learn from real-world best practices, including a Starbucks inclusion case study
Navigate the legal landscape (U.S. and Europe) and what it means for workplace behavior
By the end, you’ll have a practical toolkit of language, behaviors, and policy awareness you can use immediately—plus next steps and resources to keep improving long after the course ends.
If you want to help create a workplace where LGBTQ+ colleagues aren’t just “included,” but respected, supported, and able to thrive—this course is for you.
