The BRAVE Space program, which supports safe and welcoming environments for LGBTQ people, has certified five organizations in Newport, Rhode Island — the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center, Bike Newport, FabNewport, Conexión Latina and Women’s Resource Center. BRAVE is an acronym for “Belonging, Respect, Acceptance, Validity and Equity.”
Reports WhatsUpNewP.com:
Thanks to COVID relief funding from the Rhode Island Department of Health, the project started as a collaborative pilot between the MLK Community Center and the Newport Health Equity Zone LGBTQ+ Health Working Group (HEZ) to create a Safe Zone certification applicable to non-healthcare organizations, building upon the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island Safe Zone concept for healthcare agencies.
To gain BRAVE certification, participating organizations must examine both client and employee relations and policies and learn how to create a truly safe and welcoming environment for the LGBTQIA+ community, all through an intersectional lens. “Intersectionality” here means the ways that systems of inequalities based on gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, class and other forms of discrimination “intersect” to create unique dynamics and effects (Center for Intersectional Justice).
“At the MLK Community Center, we are committed to creating an environment where all persons affiliated with the Center, particularly those of us who are people of color, within the LGBTQIA+ community and/or with disabilities, are truly seen and treated with the utmost consideration, respect, and compassion,” said Heather Hole Strout, Executive Director of the MLK Community Center.
The list of 11 criteria were settled upon with the help of the HEZ LGBTQIA+ Working Group and four focus groups consisting of locals who identify with the LGBTQIA+ community. The criteria range from genderless signage for restrooms to creating inclusive hiring policies that embrace cultural and gender diversity.
While there are very concrete criteria to becoming a BRAVE Space, some criteria may already be in place, and some may take some time to implement. The goal of the project is to make significant changes in each organization’s culture and creates parameters to work toward more equitable policies and procedures in the future.
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