Downloadable PDF available here. 

Overview:

Welcome to Shivyon: Keshet’s Equality Project! Congratulations on making the commitment to learning, growth, and work towards LGBTQ equality and belonging in your organization! Our Education & Training team is looking forward to learning with you over the next year and supporting your ongoing work.

To prepare for our work together, we ask that you work with your organization’s staff and leadership to complete this self-assessment. This tool will guide you through some questions about your organization’s programming, policy, and culture as they relate to LGBTQ equality and belonging. As part of your pre-summit call, your coach will talk with you about these three areas, and will discuss your findings and your hopes for our year of learning and action together.

There are quite a number of questions in this assessment. Please do not worry! These questions are not intended to be a “checklist” or presented as a standard against which you are being measured or graded. While they are asked in the format of yes-or-no answers, they are intended as a way to open the conversation and help you identify what is currently happening in your organization. The goal is to prepare you fully for the summit, at which you will create a realistic, achievable action plan that is customized to your organization’s needs and priorities. We will do this together!

Please know that this self-assessment will take some effort and research. Plan for time to talk with the right stakeholders to gather as much information as possible. Please also feel free to reach out to your coach with any questions about this form. Know, too, that your coach will work with you on this assessment during your pre-summit call. Prior to your pre-summit call, please include as much information as you are able to gather and make note of any questions about the assessment that you would like to discuss with your coach.

Congratulations again on making the commitment to this work. We are so excited to be a part of it with you!

Name:
Organization:
Title:
Preferred contact information:

 

Programming:

This section will address internal (for staff) and external (for members/students/community) programming and help you assess in what ways your programs represent, celebrate, and build belonging for LGBTQ Jews and their families.

 

☐Y ☐N We have regular programming on LGBTQ themes. For example: community conversations, film screenings, panel discussions, etc. We honor LGBTQ days of significance like National Coming Out Day, No Name Calling Week, Day of Silence, Transgender Day of Visibility, LGBTQ History Month, Pride Month, etc.

If yes,

☐ Y ☐ N Does this programming target/reach age demographics that represent the demographics of your community overall?

☐ Y ☐ N Does this programming focus on Pride month, or does it take place throughout the year?

Comments:

 

☐ Y ☐ N LGBTQ speakers/presenters/authors/thinkers are represented among our regular slate of speakers/presenters/authors/thinkers (if applicable).

If yes,

☐ Y ☐ N Do these presenters speak on a wide range of topics, including both LGBTQ and other topics?

☐ Y ☐ N Are LGBTQ speakers/presenters compensated commensurately with other speakers/presenters, particularly when presenting about their lived experiences as LGBTQ people?

☐ Y ☐ N Do these speakers and presenters represent the broad diversity of the LGBTQ community, including racial/ethnic, ability/disability, and a range of gender identities and expressions?

Comments:

 

☐ Y ☐ N We have an LGBTQ group, such as a Gender/Sexuality Alliance (GSA) for students or LGBTQ Professionals affinity group for staff.

If yes,

☐ Y ☐ N Is this group currently active?

☐ Y ☐ N Does this group receive organizational/logistical/budgetary support from the organization?

Comments:

 

☐ Other

Please describe any other programming initiatives that support LGBTQ equality and belonging.

 

Policy:

This section will address organizational policies that affect staff and community members. While many states/provinces, counties, or federal governments provide mandates protecting LGBTQ individuals, many do not, and many existing mandates leave plenty of room for growth. We encourage organizational administrators to develop policies that address the needs of LGBTQ staff members and constituents.

 

☐ Y ☐ N Our organizational leadership team (Executive Team, Board, etc.) has been trained on how to develop and strengthen LGBTQ-affirming community.

If yes,

☐ Y ☐ N Is this training required or part of professional development/board orientation?

☐ Y ☐ N Does this training address questions of best practices and policy? Empower leaders to make decisions that foster LGBTQ equality and belonging?

☐ Y ☐ N Does this training speak to how to effect cultural change in the organization?

Comments:

 

☐ Y ☐ N We provide training on LGBTQ identities, equality, and belonging for our front-line staff members (i.e. social workers, program staff, educators, front desk staff, etc.).

If yes,

☐ Y ☐ N Is this training recurrent, regular, and a part of ongoing professional development?

☐ Y ☐ N Does this training address the needs and experiences of both LGBTQ constituents/participants and LGBTQ staff members/colleagues.

☐ Y ☐ N Does this training begin with clear goals and provide actionable steps relevant to the staff members attending?

Comments:

 

☐ Y ☐ N We have a standing lay/professional group that is specifically tasked with moving LGBTQ equality forward, either as a dedicated LGBTQ Equity/Inclusion Task Force or as part of broader DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) work.

If yes,

☐ Y ☐ N Does this group include both staff and lay leaders?

☐ Y ☐ N Does this group include staff from various levels of the organization?

☐ Y ☐ N Is the scope of work and authority of the group clear?

☐ Y ☐ N Does this group communicate their work to the rest of your organization?

Comments:

 

☐ Y ☐ N We have a written non-discrimination policy that specifically names sexual orientation AND gender identity and expression.

If yes,

☐ Y ☐ N Is this policy updated or revisited regularly?

☐ Y ☐ N Is this policy easily available on the website, in the employee handbook, or other publicly available documents?

☐ Y ☐ N Is this policy made known to all new staff and board members during orientation?

☐ Y ☐ N Is this policy enforced in the workplace and during community events?

☐ Y ☐ N Is there a known and accessible process for reporting and addressing instances of discrimination, which provides clear expectations, communication, and protections for the person reporting such an incident?

Comments:

 

☐ Y ☐ N We have written anti-bullying policies and/or materials that specifically address anti-LGBTQ bullying and harassment.

If yes,

☐ Y ☐ N Is this policy updated or revisited regularly?

☐ Y ☐ N Does this policy apply to constituents of all ages and roles?

☐ Y ☐ N Is this policy easily available on the website, in the employee handbook, or other publicly available documents?

☐ Y ☐ N Is this policy made known to all new staff and board members during orientation?

☐ Y ☐ N Is this policy enforced in the workplace and during community events?

☐ Y ☐ N Is there a known and accessible process for reporting and addressing instances of discrimination, which provides clear expectations, communication, and protections for the person reporting such an incident?

Comments:

 

☐ Y ☐ N We have a policy that states that access to gender-specific spaces or groups (e.g. social groups/sisterhood/brotherhood, bunking/roommate assignments, retreats/programs) are made on the basis of gender identity (rather than sex as listed on a birth certificate or other identification).

If yes,

☐ Y ☐ N Is this policy visible on the website, displayed in the building, in the employee handbook, or other publicly available documents?

☐ Y ☐ N Is this policy discussed with all new staff and board members during orientation?

☐ Y ☐ N If applicable, is this policy applied to youth under age 18?

Comments:

☐ Y ☐ N Our community has all-gender bathrooms (and locker rooms if applicable) available (these may be multi-stall or single-user bathrooms with signage indicating that they are available to people of all genders).

If yes,

☐ Y ☐ N Are these bathrooms located in a place where they are easy to access from all program locations?

☐ Y ☐ N Does the signage on this bathroom indicate clearly that it is available to people of all genders? Is the language used affirming of nonbinary genders?

☐ Y ☐ N Does this sign adhere to the aesthetic, language use, and accessibility guidelines of other signage in the building?

☐ Y ☐ N Is there signage in the building that includes directions to these all-gender bathrooms?

☐ Y ☐ N Is this restroom also ADA-accessible, and does it contain a baby-changing station?

If no,

☐ Y ☐ N Has there been discussion of the feasibility and cost of adding or repurposing bathrooms for all-gender use?

☐ Y ☐ N If it is not possible to provide all-gender bathrooms, are there policies in place to ensure that people of all genders, including nonbinary people, are able to access bathrooms safely and with dignity? Are these policies communicated widely within the community?

In all cases,

☐ Y ☐ N Is there a policy that prevents harassment of folks of all gender identities and expressions when using the bathroom?

Comments:

 

☐ Other

Please include below any additional policies that your organization has developed to build equality and promote belonging for LGBTQ staff and constituents.

 

Culture:

This section will address the ways in which organizational culture can foster a sense of belonging, visibility, and affirmation for LGBTQ individuals, families, and communities. These aspects can often feel less tangible, but we hope that through these questions organizational leaders will identify concrete ways in which you are promoting or can promote an LGBTQ-affirming culture.

☐ Y ☐ N Our institution’s publications, outreach materials, website, and/or physical space includes images, language, and information that reflect LGBTQ people as an integral part of the community.

☐ Y ☐ N Do photographs/images of the community reflect a broad range of diversity? Have there been conversations about how to do this without tokenizing or relying heavily on a few community members?

☐ Y ☐ N Does the marketing team (if applicable) have access to a stock photo library that offers images that reflect diversity in a broad way?

☐ Y ☐ N Do other cues (signage, symbols, website content, etc) offer specific markers of LGBTQ belonging? This might include Pride flags or logos on relevant sections of a website and use of LGBTQ-affirming language when describing programs, families, or lifecycle events.

☐ Y ☐ N Does the organizational calendar / social media schedule include representation of LGBTQ days and observances, books, and speakers, etc?

Comments:

 

☐ Y ☐ N We actively reach out to the LGBTQ community (i.e. advertising in LGBTQ publications, partnering with organizations for LGBTQ themed events, or creating LGBTQ-specific marketing materials).

☐ Y ☐ N Does the organization have formal or informal relationships with local or national LGBTQ organizations?

☐ Y ☐ N Does the organization co-sponsor or cross-post events with LGBTQ organizations?

☐ Y ☐ N Does the outreach team consider the LGBTQ community a target demographic and have a plan for outreach?

Comments:

 

☐ Y ☐ N Our library or community resource space has LGBTQ resources, books, and/or films.

☐ Y ☐ N Are these books, films, and resources available for all age levels?

☐ Y ☐ N Do these resources offer positive representation of LGBTQ individuals and families? (Examples include: fiction and memoirs that represent LGBTQ people experiencing affirmation and love, parenting books that focus on LGBTQ identities as positive and worthy, picture books that represent LGBTQ families without focusing the plot only on that identity, works by LGBTQ thinkers, leaders, and creators?)

☐ Y ☐ N Are the majority of these resources own-voices resources (i.e. created by individuals who hold the identities they write about)?

☐ Y ☐ N Is the library collection updated and reviewed regularly?

Comments:

 

☐ Y ☐ N LGBTQ materials and resources (possibly including Keshet’s stickers, posters, brochures) are publicly displayed.

☐ Y ☐ N Are these materials displayed in a location where they can easily be found by community members who are not actively seeking them out?

☐ Y ☐ N Are these materials available in a location where a person could view / take them discreetly if they wished?

Comments:

 

☐ Y ☐ N All forms and surveys (registration, membership, admissions, etc.) are inclusive of LGBTQ identities and families.

☐ Y ☐ N Is parent/guardian information collected in a way that avoids assumptions about the number, genders, or identities of parents/guardians?

☐ Y ☐ N Have you examined whether forms truly need to ask for gender information and created a process to remove that question where it is not needed?

☐ Y ☐ N When gender information is needed, is it collected in a way that allows for self-identification and recognizes the broad range of gender identities that exist?

☐ Y ☐ N Do your forms allow for individuals to indicate if they should be addressed by something other than their legal first name?

☐ Y ☐ N Do your forms offer individuals a space to indicate their pronouns?

☐ Y ☐ N If you collect Hebrew names, do you offer gender-neutral Hebrew alongside gendered options (i.e. can a person indicate that they are _________ “mi’beit” ___________ as well as ________ “ben” _________ or “bat ______)?

☐ Y ☐ N If you regularly use surveys to assess programming or community satisfaction, does your collection of demographic data include (optional) information about LGBTQ identites? Is this data analyzed to determine whether LGBTQ participants are experiencing programming or community differently than non-LGBTQ participants?

Comments:

 

☐ Y ☐ N Our organization engages with LGBTQ civil rights in a way that is consistent with our overall engagement with other public issues impacting members of our community.\

☐ Y ☐ N Staff, leaders, and community members generally have a broad idea of the state of LGBTQ rights and equality in our country/state/province.

☐ Y ☐ N Staff, leaders, and community members would likely become aware of major news events impacting LGBTQ people, and think about internal responses (e.g. checking in on members likely to be affected, mentioning the event and issuing an invitation to discuss, ensuring that internal processes and procedures protect LGBTQ people, etc.) and/or external responses (e.g. public statements, local or national advocacy, communal/ritual recognition, etc.) in a way consistent with our organization’s mission and parameters.

☐ Y ☐ N Equal rights for LGBTQ people are considered as important in our organization’s public engagement work as the civil rights of other core constituencies.

Comments:

 

☐ Other

Please describe any other aspects of your organization’s culture that support your organization’s work for LGBTQ equality and belonging.