Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative
Safe Spaces Certification
THE PROBLEM:
Despite legislative progress and numerous court victories realizing rights for LGBTQ+ members of our communities, there remain countless towns and cities across the country where discrimination against the queer community reigns. Safe spaces for community gathering, empowerment, and celebration - like the historic Stonewall Inn in New York City - more often than not exist in large city centers and are rarely found in smaller cities and rural areas.
The liberty and humanity of LGBTQ+ people is inextricably tied up with that of these marginalized communities. Safe spaces for these persons to thrive are more necessary than ever today. We have also seen a rise of support among businesses, venues and retail stores looking to support the community by placing a rainbow flag to show they are LGBTQ friendly. We want to make sure that public venues and business actually earn the right to say they authentically support our community by having proper training, policies and standards that ensure they are creating a safe space for their LGBTQ employees, LGBTQ customers and advocating for equality.
THE SOLUTION:
The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative(SIGBI) is developing it’s SIGBI Safe Spaces certification to identify entertainment venues, Food and beverage locations, Stores, Businesses and other public venues, as Safe Spaces for LGBTQ+ members of the community. The standards and certification process will be designed by the community in some of the most difficult areas in the country to be LGBTQ+ and by some of the most marginalized individuals in our community.
Through a series of conversations nation-wide convening national and local LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations, thought leaders, and community leaders, SIGBI is developing a series of metrics by which each entity would abide in order to be designated a SIGBI Safe Space. Via this network of SIGBI Safe Spaces, the spirit and values of The Stonewall Inn will become present in far-reaching corners of the county uplifting LGBTQ+ persons, fostering education for their neighbors, and providing space to celebrate, thrive, work, shop, and live freely.
THE PROCESS:
The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative will partner with Jennifer Brown Consulting a leading anti-bias training consulting firm to host virtual town halls and travel to select towns to meet with local LGBTQ+ advocates and leaders to discuss their most important needs to support their advocacy and community building and what a safe space means to them. With the advice of and input from LGBTQ+ leaders and some of the most marginalized members of the LGBTQ+ community, and under the facilitation of the anti-bias trainer, SIGBI will develop its certification program and invite national corporations and local business to participate in the process. International sports and entertainment company AEG and co-working members club Spring Place, JetBlue, Brooklyn Brewery and Saks Fifth Avenue are anchor sponsors of the SIGBI Safe Spaces certification and are eager to be the first to implement the new training standard and be designated as Stonewall Inn Gives Back Safe Spaces. The initial conversations with communities across the country and our Community partners will begin in Spring of 2021. Our Safe Spaces Community Partners are The Borderland Rainbow Center, El Paso, Texas, Just Us at Oasis Center, Nashville, Tennessee, The Magic Center Acceptance Center, Birmingham, Alabama, The Gulf Coast Equality Council, Gulfport/Biloxi Mississippi, The Utah Pride Center, Salt Lake City and Kansas City Center for Inclusion, Kansas City, MO.