What is a Safe Space?

Pride month is a perfect opportunity to highlight the achievements of and uplift LGBTQ peoples A big part of doing so is by providing a safe spaces for LGBTQ community members to exist. By definition, a safe space is a place that is free of bias, hate speech, and other oppressive or harmful behaviors. Considering that LGBTQ people and others in marginalized communities face discrimination, violence, and emotional abuse, a safe space is more important now than ever.

Keep in mind that while everyone has their own definition, having a safe space is crucial to living life to the fullest. As NWCU is committed to supporting all members of our community, we’re designating all NWCU branches as safe spaces.

Why Do We Need a Safe Space?

Safe spaces empower people to thrive emotionally and socially without fear of being discriminated against and provides a chance for people to connect with their communities.

Here are a few benefits of having a safe space:

Benefits Mental Health

Having positive mental health is crucial to success and being in a place where you feel accepted and nurtured is a big part of that. In many spaces, LGBTQ people can often experience exclusion and micro-aggressions and feel the need to hide who they really are. Safe spaces help prevent this from occurring.

Physical and Emotional Safety

LGBTQ people are nine times more likely to experience a hate crime. Providing a safe space means doing what we can to protect people from violence while taking those crimes seriously and reporting them when necessary.

Safe spaces are not a unique need for the LGBTQ community and at NWCU we are proud to do our part all year long to provide a safe space for our LGBTQ neighbors, members and employees.

How to Create Safe Spaces for LGBTQ People

Common ways that businesses and organizations can create safe spaces for the LGBTQ community include implementing non-discrimination policies, providing all-gender bathrooms, and displaying safe space signs or stickers.

Wondering how you can directly create safe spaces for LGBTQ people? Here are a few ideas.

Use the right language. One of the best ways to make LGBTQ people feel safer and more comfortable is by using inclusive language. Avoid using umbrella terms and use specific terminology that represents how people identify. When in doubt, ask! Most people are happy to share their preferences.

Maintain confidentiality. It’s important to keep any information someone shares with you confidential. It can be very difficult for a LGBTQ person to confide in someone. Committing to not sharing that information prevents accidentally “outing” someone and placing them in harm’s way. By maintaining confidentiality, it shows support for that person and helps build trust, allowing them to feel safe.

Celebrate unity. The goal for all of us is to help create an inclusive community that is accepting of everyone. Sometimes when we try to be inclusive and create safe spaces for the LGBTQ community, we draw attention to our differences. It’s important to recognize the common humanity that unites us and celebrate the authenticity in us all.

Admit to and own mistakes. It’s OK to make mistakes. Apologizing for them and asking how you can avoid making them again can go a long way in helping LGBTQ people feel welcome. This shows you are committed to learning how to support their community better.

How is NWCU Creating Safe Spaces?

For Pride Month, members can expect to see Safe Space stickers in our branches. These stickers serve as a way of letting our LGBTQ community members know we support them. Additionally, we’ll be providing extra training to leadership around DEI to help foster an even more inclusive, nurturing environment.