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As a woman business owner and proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, I do not feel safe living and working in Indiana. There are many LGBTQ+ people who feel the very same, and it’s important for the business community to understand why.
For years, I have been the recipient of far more “Hoosier hostility” than “Hoosier hospitality” in the form of attacks on my reproductive health care rights, physical threats, digital hate mail on all social media platforms, harassing prank calls, belittling emails and damage to my personal property for being an outspoken activist for women and the LGBTQ+ community.
What has hurt the most was the deafening silence from many business owners and leaders when anti-LGBTQ+ legislation was introduced and then enacted into various laws during the legislative session this year. This silence has had terrible consequences. And it is indicative of a broad complicity in the business community to legislators’ creation of a hostile climate in Indiana.
The business community has to stop pretending that “Hoosier hostility” doesn’t exist and needs to recognize the profound impact on Black, brown, LGBTQ+ people and women. If Indiana businesses continue to ignore the needs and civil rights of these groups, there will be significant micro and macro level costs in both the short and long terms.
To offer an example of the micro-level effects, one of my staff is moving out of Indiana this month because they are concerned for the welfare, safety and access to health care for their daughters. Five members of The Startup Ladies (who are highly educated and have created businesses and jobs in Indiana) have moved to different states because they no longer feel safe living and working here. Last summer, I built an exit strategy to leave the state should an emergency arise and I needed to access a safe haven in haste. The people this state has worked so hard to attract are leaving.
My example illustrates how just one woman-owned company has been negatively impacted by the inaction and silence of business leaders. Imagine what is quietly happening to the rest of Indiana’s businesses right now.
On a macro level, if Indiana continues on its current path, it will quickly develop a national reputation as a state where people of color, the LGBTQ+ community and women are unwelcome.
Indiana could, with reason, become the target of a travel warning similar to the one issued by the NAACP to Florida on May 20: “Florida is openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals. Before traveling to Florida, please understand that the state of Florida devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color.”
Indiana’s reputation is quickly shifting from “A State that Works” to a state that works to erase Black, brown, and LGBTQ+ histories by working to ban books in public libraries, to enact laws that punish teachers for caring for transgender students, to make it illegal for transgender girls to participate in girls sports, to deny affirming health care for transgender people, and to ban women’s reproductive rights. The silence and continued lack of action of business leaders is enabling this process.
And, in so doing, they are ensuring that more residents will flee the state; vacationers and sports fans will avoid visiting and hosting conferences and conventions here; enterprise level companies will not bring jobs here; and top talent from around the world will be repelled from living and working here.
How do we change Hoosier hostility into Hoosier hospitality?
If Indiana is to be seen as a state with a business climate that welcomes, celebrates and protects diversity, business leaders must make a consistent effort to preserve the rights of women, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals. We must keep public libraries as bastions of factual history and free thought. Public schools must allow every type of student to attend without fear of threats, physical violence or being outed. Caring teachers committed to making safe classrooms for diverse students should never fear legal recourse.
As business leaders, we can associate with and amplify the organizations and messages that honor and protect marginalized groups. Attend an Indy Black Chamber of Commerce event. Become a member of the Indy Rainbow Chamber and invite your straight colleagues to join you and serve as allies and ambassadors for the organization.
Invite the ACLU of Indiana to present their outstanding (free) program created for companies of every size to make workplaces a more welcoming and inclusive place for transgender employees.
Donate generously to the Indiana Youth Group because they have a growing number of clients, youth ages 12-24 as well as their parents, relying on their resources to support LGBTQ+ Hoosiers.
But, more than anything, speak out. Build coalitions and speak in unison about the need to create a state that welcomes, supports, and is truly safe for Black, brown, LGBTQ+ people and women.•
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Cooper is founder and CEO of The Startup Ladies.
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Need more information. What state did the employee move to? Illinois, Washington? New York? California? I want to know where to go in order to be safe.
My child just moved to Europe to get away from this hate. He may be on to something.
“Not safe” really just means “not getting my way politically.” This sort of white progressive hyperbole is pathetic and at the core of our nation’s political crisis, as by any measure American citizens enjoy more personal freedom than almost the entire planet.
Moved to Chicago in March. Indiana was becoming too hostile.
SAD that LGBTQ, etc. imagines itself to be in the same standing or status as “women” and “persons of color”. It is not. Science has never proven there is such a thing as a “gay gene”, let alone the latest fantasy, fad regarding a person being able to determine their own “gender identity”. The science is squarely against it, despite some (few) lame attempts to claim otherwise. The reality is these are psychological disorders, the result of environment, trauma, other psychological struggles, etc. requiring much self examination, honesty, humility and therapy to understand and handle. When the APA changed its stance on this in recent years, it it did not have ANY scientific evidence to do so, other than cultural/political pressure. Moreover there are no constitutional protections (inherent, inalienable rights), federal or state, for this behavior. Having said this, most people are truly kind, compassionate, sympathetic and loving toward persons who are LGBTQ, etc. … UNTIL… they try to FORCE others to believe and accept and lie to themselves and their children that this is normal behavior, despite the science and the law to the contrary. Lastly, ALL OF US, struggle with different types and forms of psychological impairments. This is simply part of being human. Denying one’s psychological struggles is not the path to healing, wholeness and renewal…. it is surrender to DELUSION and a life filled with suffering. Sure, one can “move out of state” but that will not move the state of being delusional.
If someone actually threatened you with physical harm, I hope you’ve reported the incident to the police so the person can be prosecuted.
In other news, California is getting ready to pass a bill [you can look it up] that will essentially strip a parent of any custodial rights if he or she doesn’t fully and unequivocally embrace his or her child’s gender dysphoria – no matter the child’s age and no matter how long the child has held the belief. So if your five year old boy says, “I’m a girl today,” dad better climb on board 100% or risk being branded by the state as a child abuser, a designation that will deprive him of custody rights.
If that’s your idea of a safe and welcoming environment, then California may be just the place for you. I’d encourage you to load up on supplies before you go. Seems to be a lot of retail stores moving out for some reason. Oh, and be careful where you step!
Most of the responses here are a perfect example of why the non-white and LGBTQ+ community do not feel safe here.
@kelvin o. Exactly!
You keep using that word “safe.” I do not think it means what you think it means.
Whoever told you that you are “in danger” or “unsafe” simply because your socio-political beliefs are not affirmed in toto 100% of the time gave you really bad advice. I suspect I would like you as a person because I tend to like everyone regardless of a person’s socio-political beliefs unless or until that person does something objectively harmful to me (real harm, not “disagrees with me” harm). However, I suspect you would not like me at all because I wouldn’t affirm or agree with all your beliefs.
So, what do we do?
What Steve said. I think I can honestly say that I and the people I know well try very hard to live the Golden Rule, and treat others as I would want to be treated. But I dd not have to accept all of the liberal ideas and agenda being shoved down our throats. The vast majority of people are good, and we cannot agree on everything, so feel free to go wherever you think is better. Good luck.
Indiana people, like most Americans, are fine with the LBG population and movement. It’s when you get to the T that Indiana people, like most Americans, begin to object. Sorry, you can’t change your gender. The T is a lie. Not true. You can purposely not get this all you want, but the rest of us recognize the lie, we object to the erasure of “woman” as a category, and we can’t imagine why women such as the author of this article are advocating for their own negation. Bizarre.
Kristen you felt compelled to tell me your sexual orientation, Honestly, “My dear, I don’t give a damn.” (Gone with the Wind)