mercoledì 14 agosto 2019

How One Airline Has Made Flying More LGBTQ+ Friendly

United Airlines has partnered with The Trevor Project to make the friendly skies a lot more inclusive
Pride month shouldn't be the only time that LGBTQ+ people feel welcome as they move through the world. Unfortunately, though, sometimes this is the case, which is exactly why measures should be taken year-round to ensure that all people feel safe when walking around the world, and shouldn't have to deal with uncomfortable looks or questions for just being themselves. 
And, The Trevor Project, in its work with United Airlines, is seeking to make airlines, specifically, more welcoming and safe to queer travelers.

One of the best ways to make airlines LGBTQ+ friendly is to make sure that all employees are understanding of and attuned to queer identities and specific needs. In its partnership with The Trevor Project, United Airlines gives its employees access to Ally Trainings; as The Trevor Project's head of corporate development Muneer Panjwani describes, these trainings give attendees "a foundational understanding of what it means to be LGBTQ+... A lot of people [in the company] are really interested in learning how to be an ally, they just don't know how to do so."
Since these trainings aren't available globally just yet, United is also working with The Trevor Project to bring all of its employees an online learning module "so that all of the employees have a baseline understanding of LGBTQ+ knowledge." This will be available to everyone at the company, regardless of position, so that it will be more inclusive at its core.

What happens if this information isn't given? Well, it can make going through the process of getting to the gate feel demeaning. The need for understanding LGBTQ+ identities extends to TSA agents, as well, especially when people are going through security screenings. Panjwani points out that "trans and genderqueer people sometimes alter their bodies" to help them present as the gender they identify as. So, if someone wears a chest binder, for instance, they can often be met with hostility or a lack of understanding from agents. "They may flag that person as a threat, and then they have to go through security checking, which is a very dehumanizing process for a lot of trans people because a lot of the TSA agents don't know what it means to be trans," he notes. "They don't know what a binder is. They don't know some of the things that trans people do to make their bodies look like how they feel inside."

For its customers, though, United is taking measures to ensure that people can feel that their identities are validated. The company has started to offer a third gender option to customers booking flights, so that those who don't identify as either "male" or "female" won't have to lump themselves in one of those categories when they book a flight. This makes the brand the first airline to do so, and Panjwani says it will help nonbinary people to feel accepted. "When people have the option to define themselves, especially trans and genderqueer people, when they have the option to present themselves as how they want to be seen, it creates a space where they feel validated and affirmed," he details.

If there's one way for every airline to do better, Panjwani notes, it's for attendants to not take a person's pronouns for granted. "An easy thing that all airlines can do is to start sharing their own pronouns and asking for people's pronouns," he says. "It's a very easy thing to do, and actually changes the culture dramatically to be more inclusive and respectful." 

And, too, on top of these institutional changes, United is lifting up its partners at The Trevor Project to help it continue its important work in helping prevent suicides in the LGBTQ+ community. United MileagePlus, the airline's loyalty program, donated over 1 million MileagePlus miles to the organization that members redeemed to attend a number of Pride event activations, which Panjwani notes will help its employees get to areas that need its support. "Traveling is a significant cost to any organization," he continues. "These miles will ensure our teams are where they need to be to further our work to end suicide among LGBTQ+ young people

Panjwani hopes that the leadership of United and The Trevor Project's work can lead to a widespread industry change. When asked what other airlines could do, he tells me that they should follow their leadership. Panjwani has a few examples: "Change the system to include options beyond the gender binary. Train employees on LGBTQ+ allyship. Understand specific concerns and issues that LGBTQ+ travelers face, and record those issues to understand the extent and try to actually address them in a meaningful way."

Nessun commento:

Posta un commento