- [Shajira] Now we're going to turn our attention to the Social Security Administration and how they're becoming more inclusive for or with the LGBTQIA+ community. The Social Security Administration uses very specific language, so I will not be paraphrasing so that the true meaning is upheld. On June 26, 2015, the US Supreme Court issued a decision in Obergefell versus Hodges holding that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry in all states and have their marriage recognized by other states. This decision made it possible for more same-sex couples and their families to benefit from the Social Security Administration's programs. On social securities administration webpage, same sex couples, they indicated that they are committed to reducing barriers and ensuring the fair treatment of the LGBTQ+ community by updating their procedures for Social Security Number records. In the fall of 2022, Social Security Administration will start to offer people the choice to self-select their sex on their Social Security Number record. People who update their sex markers in social securities records will need to apply for a replacement Social Security Number card. They will still need to show a current document to prove their identity, but they will no longer need to provide medical or legal documentation of their sex designation once the policy change becomes effective. In the world of work, there's a lot of surveys and research that is done. And particularly one of the questions, it's always on a lot of these forms is the gender, asking about gender. And we wanted to spend some time talking about this to let you know that it is often unnecessary to ask about gender. If you have to ask about gender, you should first be asking yourself, why do I need to know? If the answer is the project or funder requires demographic data collection, okay, then you should definitely ask it. Or you're doing a presentation or webinar and gender is covered, great, you should ask it. But if your answer is, I've always asked, and there's no true meaning or reason behind it, then the best bet is just not to ask. If you've decided that you absolutely have to ask about gender, right? It could be because you're conducting research or again, you're doing a webinar or the funder requires that you obtain this information, here are two options that you can use in regards to capturing that information. You have option one, which is the most inclusive, but is not easily sortable. So for instance, someone who's doing research, this is not the best option for them, is that they ask a blank question. It says I identify my gender as, and then it's a blank where someone then fills in how they see themselves. In Option 2, it's inclusive and it's more easily sortable. And what you would do here is you would say, "I identify my gender as," And then give them options that they can either select, right? Either they can select male/man, female/woman, non-binary/genderqueer. They can fill in the blank or they can let you know that they prefer not to disclose. Here are some things that I really would like for you to remember and for you to know as we go through our day-to-day work. So the first thing is that there are real life impacts for people in the LGBTQIA+ community who are also a part of the disability community. For instance, obtaining government issued identification that truly reflects who they are, being able to navigate the healthcare system and obtaining social security benefits. Now, this is a very short list. This is not all of the real life impacts. This is just a very small amount that's listed here. What I want you to keep in mind is that the most respectful way to address anyone is to use their name. It does not matter how they outward present and how you interpret them to be, right? If someone presents as queer, share your pronouns and ask theirs. What you should be aware of is the surroundings. Please do not ask them this in front of everyone, if you're in a group setting. Politely pull them to the side and ask them what is their pronouns. And if it's through Zoom, you can do a direct IM and ask them that way. Also, if you're in the situation where you misgender someone, it's okay. Give yourself some grace and understanding. Quickly apologize and make the immediate change. There is no need for you to ask the person why. Because they should not have to explain to you why they want to be perceived a certain way. That is is their choice. It is for us to respect their choices. And also if you're unsure of someone's pronouns and you're not able to ask, go ahead and use gender neutral language. So for example, I can tell you are a strong man, probably isn't the best. Maybe you can say, I can tell you are a strong person. Ultimately, we want to gain a better understanding of the LGBTQIA+ community so that we are as respectful as possible to a community that is often misunderstood. I wouldn't have been able to do this training without these resources. I would definitely encourage you to take some time out of your schedule to visit these links. The first one is the Social Security Administration, their equity action plan, which is really great. And then there's the LGBT People with Disabilities Brief, that's where I got a lot of the research from. And then the Genderbread person Organization.