![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.nabjmonitor.com\/2021\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Gender-Identity-NABJ-black-version-1024x853.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhen speaking to members of her task force, Redwood says she hears many personal experiences of discrimination from members, including how career fair employers are not as welcoming to gender non-conforming interviewees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat I hear most often is the career fair, when gender non-conforming folks are going to the booths, they’re not getting a warm reception,\u201d Redwood said. \u201cAnd that means from the job, they’re not getting the same interviewing opportunity. So maybe the person that they’re speaking to is completely cold. They don’t say anything rude, but it’s cold.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While NABJ\u2019s San Diego chapter chair Jerry McCormick would \u201clike to believe that NABJ is not homophobic,\u201d he feels his experiences say otherwise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI’ve been on elevators back in the day when we identify these little rainbow stickers, I remember when your young lady said, ‘I don’t want to get too close to him, he might have AIDS,’\u201d McCormick said. \u201cI remember that. And so, I thought we had evolved past that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tucker responded to the outpouring of comments via her Twitter account: \u201cTo our LGBTQIA members. I hear you. Please let us get through our first virtual convention and I promise we will thoroughly look into your concerns Looking forward to working with @NABJ<\/a> Task Force Chair Femi Redwood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n When asked why NABJ had not put out a statement condemning homophobia and transphobia that some members on social media wanted to see, Tucker responded, \u201cI want to do it the right way. When I put something out, I want to not only be able to say, which I think that all of our members know, that we’re not going to tolerate anybody being disrespected. You know, this is a family that’s going to love everybody and allow them to be who they are, no matter what their sexual orientation is. But I want to be able to put something out that says, this is what we believe, this is what we will do, and this is how we will make things better.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Anderson hopes that in the future, the organization and its members can speak out in condemning homophobia and transphobia by members and implement inclusive policy with the same urgency and care that the task force strives to do every day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMe and Ernest and Femi and the handful of other visible, unapologetic LGBTQ people in this organization can’t shoulder that responsibility alone,\u201d Anderson said. \u201cWe need a variety of other ways for the organization and for people who are coming into the organization to see that, like, certain behaviors are not becoming of a member of NABJ, regardless of how you feel outside of NABJ.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"