Have you heard of the position of trans advisor?

That91裸聊视频檚 Claire Millar91裸聊视频檚 role with Boundless Belly Dance, ensuring the local dance group is inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community in its language and communication. Millar said she was involved as a dancer with the group before taking on the position in December 2018.

91裸聊视频淢y role is just to help with internal and external communications, to make sure the language is inclusionary and there were no issues,91裸聊视频� said Millar. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 a good fit for me because I was involved with Boundless Belly in the first place and it was very serendipitous. I come from a very low-income background so for me, it was a flow from being sponsored for my classes to being able to help pay for my classes so to speak.91裸聊视频�

Millar identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ community and knows the power words can have, especially for groups that have long faced abuse from derogatory terms such as 91裸聊视频榝aggot91裸聊视频�.

91裸聊视频淚 think back to my youth and there was no evidence or reason for people to call me that, but I was called a faggot over and over and over,91裸聊视频� said Millar. 91裸聊视频淎nd that hurt, that hurts to this day. From the time when I was a little kid until now, and I91裸聊视频檝e been scarred by that.

91裸聊视频淪o words like that will carry their weight for as long as you remember them.91裸聊视频�

While the position is still formative, Millar says she91裸聊视频檇 like to see more companies embracing a role that has someone analyzing messaging through an inclusive LGBTQ+ lens. Eventually she91裸聊视频檇 like to expand her services to help other local companies identify gaps in their messaging and provide a secondary perspective.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 to make sure that nobody is overlooked,91裸聊视频� said Millar. 91裸聊视频淲ith Boundless I really don91裸聊视频檛 see that because Keisha McLean (founder) is very socially conscious herself. But I think she wanted another lens to look through to make sure she wasn91裸聊视频檛 missing anything.91裸聊视频�

Millar said she can see companies are trying to better identify with their customers and referenced the recent Gillette commercial that address toxic masculinity.

91裸聊视频淚t of course had a huge uproar - but they were kind of on that good side. But there are so many companies that only represent the nuclear families, like husband and wife and two and a half kids,91裸聊视频� said Millar. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 still very prevalent, and in today91裸聊视频檚 day and age how many people even get married anymore? We don91裸聊视频檛 have that nuclear family so much.

91裸聊视频�(For example) there are gay couples adopting children or having children naturally through in vitro fertilization or surrogacy. There91裸聊视频檚 just so many other ways to include the title family.91裸聊视频�

Millar said it91裸聊视频檚 important for everyone to see themselves represented in the media, as it helps shape a person91裸聊视频檚 identity.

91裸聊视频淔or example in television media or fictional media that we consume, it91裸聊视频檚 okay now to have a gay character. But generally, they suffer from the trope of dying by the end so it91裸聊视频檚 this tragic kind of heroic figure that doesn91裸聊视频檛 get to have a happy ending,91裸聊视频� said Millar. 91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e still seeing that even 30 or 40 years after it91裸聊视频檚 okay to have gay folk on television, let alone trans folk.

91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e still seeing cases of (trans people) being misrepresented that way where you have male actors playing trans women for very high profile roles, and they win Oscars, but that opportunity would not be afforded to a trans actor.91裸聊视频�

Millar said people can take a few simple steps to ensure they are being inclusive when creating content or even in their everyday life. In a lot of cases, it91裸聊视频檚 taking a second look at language that has become common place in our society and using empathy to put yourself in another91裸聊视频檚 shoes.

91裸聊视频淚t sounds so simple, but a big thing is referring to gender-mixed folks as guys or dudes. And everybody does it but when it91裸聊视频檚 a group of all girls people still say 91裸聊视频楬ey guys91裸聊视频� when there isn91裸聊视频檛 one amongst us,91裸聊视频� said Millar. 91裸聊视频淵et if there was one guy, we91裸聊视频檇 still all be called guys and that can be problematic.

91裸聊视频淚f you turn that around, there91裸聊视频檚 always one person who says they call everybody dude and it91裸聊视频檚 like 91裸聊视频極h really, how many dudes have you slept with?91裸聊视频�. So turn it around and ask the question if you were being asked the reverse of this, would it offend me?91裸聊视频�

To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.

Jordyn Thomson | Reporter
 
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