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Diversity in the list of advice-giving people

Discussion in 'Empty Closets Help and Feedback' started by Colorora, Aug 17, 2015.

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  1. Colorora

    Colorora
    Regular Member

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    Location:
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    Hi, my name is Julia and after reading the welcome message (I'm new here) I've noticed that most of the people that are on the list of advice-giving resources are gay males, I understand that lots of gay male are on this site but, if I ever need help, as a female bisexual, I feel that it would be difficult for them to connect to me and vice-versa. I wish there were more of a diversity.
     
    #1 Colorora, Aug 17, 2015
  2. Martin

    Martin
    Board Member Admin Team Full Member

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    Hey,

    You're right, the coverage is in desperate need of diversity. :slight_smile:

    Fortunately, we are in a position to now start bringing in new staff, as part of our volunteering scheme. One key focus we've had during its launch has been to take note of under-represented groups,and to identify suitable applicants who would be able to assist the organisation with resource development and coverage for them. You may see in this forum that we have recently announced a variety of staff updates, which has already begun to see the beginning of the staff team diversifying. To be clear, none of the staff team get invited just to be a 'token X' member, but we are also taking into account their own social demographic so that empathic support remains core to 1-to-1 support, and is accessible to all.

    It's still very much an ongoing process, but we're optimistic that we're heading in the right direction. For a whole variety of reasons, the site has struggled to maintain coverage amongst certain social groups over the years, and it is something we have remained very self-conscious about. Luckily, we're in a position to get it sorted, so peeps should expect to see some welcome faces and identities amongst the staff team as time passes. :slight_smile:

    Welcome to the site. :slight_smile:

    Martin.
     
    #2 Martin, Aug 17, 2015
  3. TJ

    TJ
    Full Member

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    I know the welcome message doesn't reflect this change yet (it will by the end of tonight), but we've actually just added a female, pansexual member to the Advisor team. Lyana has just started as an Advisor. You may try sending her a PM. :slight_smile:

    Silver Sparrow, a female Moderator, is also available if you should need her.

    We truly do understand and share your feelings about having a diverse staff team to meet the needs of an ever-growing, ever-changing community of LGBTQ+ people. Unfortunately, we haven't had a high selection of female members interested in volunteering, so it's hard to keep females (or any other non-gay males, for that matter) well represented on the team.
     
    #3 TJ, Aug 17, 2015
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