Rev. Dr. Lacette Cross
Each June, companies spotlight LGBTQIA+ communities through vibrant logos, Pride events, and social media campaigns. These gestures matter, but the real test of inclusion isn’t how a workplace shows up during Pride Month. It’s how it shows up every day after.
Pride isn’t just a celebration; it’s a commitment. For LGBTQIA+ people, the need for visibility, safety, and belonging doesn’t fade after the parades. It continues in every meeting, email, break room conversation, and policy decision. Supporting LGBTQIA+ communities year-round means creating a culture where people don’t have to question if they’re welcome. They just know.
That’s the power of belonging.
Belonging is deeper than being inclusive. It’s not just being invited in, it’s knowing your presence matters.
It’s the feeling of being seen, safe, and valued without needing to mask, shrink, or fit in. And while a welcoming, positive, and affirming workplace creates the conditions for belonging, it’s belonging that makes those values felt in people’s day-to-day experiences.
In the workplace, belonging shows up through intentional practices. It’s built on principles like trust, consistency, curiosity, and accountability. It’s grounded in the belief that everyone is “good enough” as they are, and that workplaces are at their best when people can bring their full, authentic selves.
So, what does it look like to center belonging as a year-round way of celebrating LGBTQIA+ communities?
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Hold Space for Conversations Across Difference
One of the most powerful ways to foster belonging is by creating space for honest, courageous conversations—especially when they’re hard. That means encouraging dialogue about identity, inclusion, and power, and recognizing that discomfort is often part of growth. These conversations don’t have to be perfect to be meaningful. What matters is holding them with respect and humility. Not everyone will have the same level of knowledge or language, and that’s okay. Belonging begins when people are given room to explore without shame.
Engage People Where They Are
No one shows up to work in a vacuum. People bring their stories, fears, hopes, and histories with them. .png?width=224&height=224&name=blog%20images%20(22).png)
To build belonging, meet people in their context. That might mean offering learning opportunities that speak to real-life experiences, or checking in with colleagues in ways that go beyond surface-level connection. It also means honoring the intersections of identity—understanding how race, gender, disability, and other lived experiences shape how LGBTQIA+ people move through the world. When engagement is human and grounded, people feel invited, not inspected.
Respond to Feedback with Action
Belonging isn’t built on good intentions—it’s built on action. When LGBTQIA+ employees offer feedback about what they need, it’s not enough to listen. There has to be a response. Whether the feedback is about policy gaps, cultural dynamics, or interpersonal harm, accountability strengthens trust. Sometimes the response is systemic: revising policies, reevaluating benefits, or restructuring reporting systems. Other times, it’s personal: a manager acknowledging harm or a team shifting its norms. Big or small, the act of responding signals that people are heard—and that their wellbeing matters.
Encourage Small, Consistent Steps
Culture change doesn’t have to start with a grand gesture. In fact, it rarely does. Belonging grows through everyday actions: someone normalizing pronoun sharing in meetings, another speaking up when a joke crosses a line, a supervisor creating space for reflection after a tough news cycle. These seemingly small steps create ripple effects. They also build the kind of momentum that leads to lasting change. Recognize and celebrate these efforts, they are evidence that the culture is alive and evolving.
Practice Allyship as a Verb
Allyship is a lifelong practice, not a self-appointed identity. It’s a commitment to showing up with consistency, humility, and courage. True allyship means leveraging privilege to challenge exclusion, supporting others even when it’s uncomfortable, and being willing to make mistakes without retreating. In a workplace committed to belonging, allyship isn’t left to a few individuals. It’s expected of everyone, especially those with positional power. That shared responsibility shifts culture from performative to transformative. .png?width=292&height=292&name=blog%20images%20(23).png)
Ultimately, belonging is about how people feel in the spaces where they live and work. It’s the difference between surviving and thriving. And for LGBTQIA+ employees, belonging means not having to question whether their joy, brilliance, and struggles are welcomed—they just are.
Pride Month is an important celebration. But belonging is what makes Pride last. When workplaces commit to belonging, they affirm that LGBTQIA+ people deserve to be seen not only in June, but in every season, on every team, and in every corner of the organization.
About the Author:
Rev. Dr. Lacette Cross | Executive Director of Diversity Richmond
Rev. Dr. Lacette Cross (she/her/rev) serves as Executive Director of Diversity Richmond, where she leads with heart, vision, and nearly two decades of nonprofit experience. She is passionate about creating spaces where people feel connected, valued, and empowered to show up fully.