 Welcome to the briefing session on working with LGBTI persons in the humanitarian context. For this webinar, you will need the briefing session participant workbook, which contains the exercise worksheets and more in-depth information on the topics we will cover. You can obtain the participant workbook from UNHCR's Learning Connect or by emailing iom at gcuatioem.int. Before we begin, I'd like to review the briefing objectives. They are to assist staff members in facilitating respectful interactions with LGBTI people that preserve dignity and humanity by encouraging the use of correct terminology in English per international guidelines, discussing the unique protection challenges and vulnerabilities LGBTI people face, identifying appropriate and sensitive communication techniques, and identifying problematic assumptions that may impact the provision of effective assistance. I'd also like to note that we recognize that for many colleagues working in the humanitarian field, it can be difficult to reconcile personal beliefs with professional obligations, as well as to recognize our own biases while we carry out those professional obligations. Reconciling our personal, cultural, religious, and societal beliefs with our professional obligations is something we do on a regular basis, and this topic is no exception. Again, depending on where we come from, thinking about sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in a professional context can be new and challenging. This session is meant to support you in that challenge and help you understand the topic from a human rights perspective. It's also meant to provide you with some basic tools you need to do your job to the best of your professional ability. When reconciling our personal, cultural, religious, and societal beliefs with our professional obligations, it's helpful to keep in mind that we have a set of core obligations to the individuals whom we serve. These obligations apply to all persons we serve, including those who are LGBTI, and apply to all staff members, regardless of where we come from. These core obligations are, one, we must maintain the humanity, dignity, and respect of the people we serve. We do this through our actions and then the way we react to individuals when they share information with us. Two, we must listen openly without demonstrating any discomfort, prejudice, or judgment. This is essential to ensuring the people we serve have a safe space within our offices. Three, we must accurately record individual statements, questions, and concerns, no matter what they are. Four, we must assist persons of concern to our organization when and where possible using our internal standard operating procedures and other guidelines to make recommendations and take necessary action. And five, we must remember that LGBTI people have specific needs that may not be addressed through assistance to other vulnerable people or groups. For instance, we should not assume that programs related to gender or health will address the needs of LGBTI people or be LGBTI inclusive. Let's review the agenda. The first topic we will address is terminology. This section will teach you the basic terms and concepts related to LGBTI people. In the second section, Global Overview, we'll gain an understanding of some of the issues facing LGBTI people worldwide. The third section, Successful Communication, will teach us basic skills for speaking with LGBTI people. In the fourth section, we'll learn how to create safe and welcoming spaces. And in the final section, we'll discuss myths and realities. We'll then discuss frequently asked questions. The first section of the briefing is terminology. Before we start our first exercise, I'd like to briefly address the language we'll be studying. The language that's used to talk about diverse sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity varies greatly across the world. And it may vary within regions, countries, and individual communities. Within communities, the language you use and how you conceptualize sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity may be dependent on your age, gender, education, social circle, or cultural references. However, there are some words and phrases that are commonly used by the UN and the international community. These are the words and phrases we will examine here. Two of those are the English phrases LGBTI and persons of diverse sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. We recognize that both are of Western origin and that, in particular, LGBTI represents concepts of personal identity that are not universal. Also, not everyone within the Western sphere uses the LGBTI terms. Regardless, the LGBTI acronym is widely used by the international community, and you will see it in numerous guiding documents. For that reason, it's important that we learn what it means. We will use the terms within the LGBTI acronym, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex, to understand only one of the ways that sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity are conceptualized. It's helpful to keep in mind that we consider LGBTI to be an acronym that encompasses the full range of concepts and terminology used around the world and captured by the phrase persons of diverse sex, sexual orientations, and gender identities. Viewing LGBTI this way is particularly important because many of the people we serve and many of the people we work with will not use LGBTI-specific terminology to describe themselves. Additionally, in some societies, certain individuals within the LGBTI spectrum, such as women of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity, are nearly, if not completely invisible, and the languages they speak may have no words at all to describe being LGBTI. We'll learn about terminology by doing the term matchup. Please turn to page two of your workbooks. This exercise is simple. Read each definition and decide which word best matches it. Write the word or the number associated with the word in front of the definition, or you can draw a line between the definition and the word. You have ten minutes to complete the exercise. If you finish early, you can turn to page four for a bonus exercise. If you need assistance, there is guidance on page five. Please pause this webinar for ten minutes while you complete the exercise. Let's go through the terms one by one. The first answer is sexual orientation. Sexual orientation is each person's enduring capacity for profound romantic, emotional, and or physical feelings for, or attraction to, persons of a particular sex or gender. It encompasses hetero, homo, and bisexuality, and other expressions of sexual orientation. This term is preferred over such terms as sexual preference and sexual behavior because it's a neutral term. Orientation means the direction in which you are pointed. Because it is neutral, the term sexual orientation does not imply that sexuality is a choice or that it's something you're born with. The UN has determined that, regardless of how sexual orientation originates, whether it's innate or whether it's shaped during one's lifetime, it is a characteristic that is so fundamental to human dignity that to violate one's ability to freely exercise their sexual orientation triggers international protection. For that reason, the term sexual orientation is preferred over other terms. The second answer is lesbian. A lesbian is a woman whose enduring romantic, emotional, and or physical attraction is to other women. Note that lesbian is only one term used to describe women who are attracted to other women. Some women also use the term gay or other terms. The third answer is gay. Gay is the preferred term over homosexual, which means persons attracted to those of the same sex or gender. Gay is an adjective generally used to describe a man whose enduring romantic, emotional, and or physical attraction is to other men, although the term can also be used to describe women. The fourth answer is bisexual. Bisexual is an adjective that describes persons who have the capacity for romantic, emotional, and or physical attraction to persons of the same sex or gender, as well as to persons of a different sex or gender. There are many negative stereotypes about bisexual individuals, including that they cannot decide whether they are gay or straight, and that they cannot be in a relationship with only one person. Bisexual individuals may face discrimination from both heterosexual and gay communities. The fifth answer is gender identity. Gender identity refers to each person's deeply felt internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond with the sex assigned at birth or the gender attributed to them by society. Note that gender identity includes the personal sense of the body, which may involve, if freely chosen, modification of bodily appearance or function by medical, surgical, or other means, and other expressions of gender, including dress, speech, and mannerisms. Many of you may not have thought about your gender identity before. For example, you might have been assigned the sex of female at birth, been told throughout your lifetime that you are a female, and always felt like a female. In this case, you may not have considered your gender identity. However, some persons do not feel like the sex they were assigned at birth or the gender they are told they are. In that case, their gender identity, or how they feel inside about whether they are male, female, another gender, or no gender, becomes very important. Although society typically assigns your gender, no one can tell you what your gender identity is. That is something that is felt internally. The sixth answer is transgender. Transgender is an umbrella term used by people whose gender identity and, in some cases, gender expression differs from what is typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth, including those whose assigned sex is different from their gender identity and people whose gender identity is neither male nor female as traditionally defined. Transgender is preferred over transsexual, as transgender encompasses transsexual and other gender identities. In short, transgender persons are persons whose physical body, or assigned gender, doesn't match their gender identity, or the way they feel inside themselves about their gender. The seventh answer is sex. Sex is the classification of a person as female, male, or intersex. Infants are usually assigned a sex at birth based on the appearance of their external anatomy. A person's sex is a combination of bodily characteristics, including their chromosomes, which are typically XY chromosome for male and XX chromosome for female, their reproductive organs, and their secondary sex characteristics. The eighth answer is intersex. Intersex describes a person with bodily variations in relation to culturally established standards of maleness and femaleness, including variations at the level of chromosomes, genitalia, or secondary sex characteristics. Intersex is preferred over the outdated term hermaphrodite. Intersex people are likely to be assigned a sex of male or female at birth. They may grow to identify themselves with the gender corresponding to the sex they were assigned at birth, or with a different gender. Note that in some cases, surgery may be done on intersex infants or children in order to make them conform with mainstream expectations of what a girl or boy should look like. These surgeries are rarely lifesaving and are generally considered to be a human rights violation because they can result in sterilization and other long-term negative psychological and physical health effects. In this definition, they cannot involve informed consent since they are being performed on children. The ninth answer is LGBTI. LGBTI is an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex. Again, for the purposes of this briefing, it's helpful to think of LGBTI as an acronym encompassing all the terms that are represented by persons of diverse sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. The final answer is persons of diverse sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. This is an umbrella term for all persons whose sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity places them outside the mainstream and persons whose gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. While you will most often hear LGBTI, and while we use LGBTI in this briefing, it's also acceptable to use persons of diverse sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity because it encompasses all the terminology people might use to describe themselves. Now let's consider some terminology in English that we should avoid using. We should avoid sexual preference or behavior because these terms are not neutral and may imply choice. For the same reason, we should also avoid calling being LGBTI a way of life, lifestyle, agenda, or choice. Everyone has a sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. They're fundamental aspects of the human experience. Keep in mind that you would not call being heterosexual a lifestyle or agenda. We should avoid calling LGBTI people not normal, abnormal, or unnatural. We also do not call being LGBTI a problem or condition. Being LGBTI is not a medical condition and does not need to be corrected. It describes being of diverse sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. When speaking to or about transgender people, avoid using such terms as she-man, he-she, or tranny. We avoid using the term hermaphrodite to refer to intersex people. And when speaking to or about persons of diverse sexual orientations, avoid the terms homophag, faggot, or dyke. There are many other derogatory terms in English and other languages. Please keep in mind the terms we've learned here and always question whether other terms you're using are respectful before you use them. We'll now do one more exercise related to terminology. Please turn to page 3 in your workbooks. This exercise will help us understand how the terms we've just learned are different from each other. Some of the terms we've learned describe who you love, some describe how you feel about your gender, and some describe your physical body. This is a short exercise. Take just 5 minutes to place the terms under the appropriate category. Again, if you finish early, you can work on the bonus exercise on page 4 or read the guidance beginning on page 5. Please pause this webinar for 5 minutes while you complete the exercise. Let's start with the category who you love. Under this category, we can place sexual orientation, which describes each person's capacity for attraction to other people. We can place lesbian here because it describes women having attraction to other women. We can place gay here because it describes men having attraction to other men, as well as women having attraction to other women. And we can place bisexual here because it describes individuals having attraction to both the same sex or gender and different sexes or genders. Let's now look at the category whether you feel male, female, another gender, or no gender. Under this category, we can place gender identity because it describes how you feel inside yourself about your own gender. We can also place here transgender because it describes people who feel their gender is something different than the sex or gender they have been assigned. And finally, we have the category your genetics and or physical body. Under this category, we can place sex since it describes our physical anatomy or chromosomal makeup. We can also place here intersex. Intersex describes sex like male and female. Individuals are determined to be intersex based on their physical anatomy, secondary sex characteristics, or chromosomal makeup. When we're thinking about sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation, it's important to keep in mind that these are three very different characteristics. Everyone has a sex, everyone has a gender identity, and everyone has a sexual orientation. The first spectrum is sex. This spectrum is related to the I in LGBTI. On this spectrum, we have male, female, and intersex. All three describe sex. Note this is why when referring to relationships, we say different sex relationship rather than opposite sex relationship. The term opposite sex relationship implies that there are only two sexes. However, we know that there are more than two. Thus, different sex relationship is more appropriate. We all have a sex. We all fall somewhere on this spectrum. Take a moment to place yourself on the spectrum. The second spectrum is gender identity. This spectrum is related to the T in LGBTI. On this spectrum, we have male, female, and representations of other genders, such as third sex, third gender, which is used in South Asia, X or other, which is used on some national passports, including in New Zealand, Australia, and Nepal, and genderqueer, which is a Western term that describes identifying as neither male or female. Depending on the location and language, you could place many more terms on this spectrum to describe gender identity. We all have a gender identity. We all fall somewhere on this spectrum. Take a moment to place yourself on the spectrum. The third spectrum is sexual orientation. This spectrum is related to the LGB in LGBTI. On this spectrum, we have heterosexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and queer, which is a Western term used to describe being something other than heterosexual. Depending on the location and language, you could place many more terms on this spectrum to describe sexual orientation. We all have a sexual orientation. We all fall somewhere on this spectrum. Please take a moment to place yourself on the spectrum. Now take a moment to place yourself on each of these spectrums. Everyone fits somewhere on them, even if the term you use to describe yourself is not represented here. These three separate characteristics should not be confused with one another. We should also not make assumptions about one characteristic based on others. For instance, if we know someone has a sex of male and the gender identity of male, we should not make assumptions about his sexual orientation. He could be heterosexual, gay, or anything else on the spectrum. He would have to tell us how he identifies in order for us to know. Another example is a person whose sex is female and sexual orientation is heterosexual. We should not make assumptions about her gender identity. She could identify as female, male, or anything else on the spectrum. They would have to tell us how they identify in order for us to know. A third example is an individual who identifies with the gender of male and as gay. We should not make assumptions about that individual's sex. That person could be male, female, or intersex. They would have to tell us what their sex is in order for us to know. In short, knowing one characteristic does not mean we know the other characteristics. It is also important to keep in mind that we should not find out someone's gender identity or sexual orientation by asking them. Rather, we should create an environment in which people can feel safe sharing this sensitive information with us if they wish to do so. Let's review a few key learning points. Sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity are separate characteristics. Someone who identifies as a diverse sexual orientation is not necessarily of a diverse gender identity. Likewise, someone who identifies as a diverse gender identity may identify as heterosexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual, or in another way. Do not assume that someone with a diverse sexual orientation has a diverse gender identity or vice versa and don't assume someone who is intersex is also of diverse sexual orientation or gender identity. You cannot know someone's LGBTI based on appearance. Making assumptions about whether someone is LGBTI based on their appearance requires you to rely on stereotypes and personal bias and is inaccurate. Keep in mind that people express their gender in a wide range of ways. Just because a woman has what you may consider a more masculine gender expression does not mean she's a lesbian or transgender. And just because a man has what you might consider a more feminine gender expression does not mean he's gay or transgender. Likewise, a woman who you consider to be very feminine may also identify as a lesbian and a man who you consider to be very masculine may identify as gay. How people self-identify will depend to a large extent on their culturally determined understandings of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. In the West, people may or may not self-identify as LGBTI. Elsewhere, people may self-identify using different terms. Remember that although the international community might use LGBTI to describe persons of diverse sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity, not all individuals with whom you speak or with whom you work will use these terms. The next section is global overview. This section will help us gain a global perspective on issues affecting LGBTI people around the world. Please turn now to the quiz on page 9. The quiz is just 6 questions and you can choose as many answers for each as you like. You have just under 10 minutes to complete the quiz. If you finish early, please turn to the bonus quiz. Please pause this webinar for approximately 8 minutes while you complete the exercise. The answer to question 1 of the quiz is B. Some of you may be surprised to learn that there are LGBTI people in every community in every country of the world. You may think that you have never met or served LGBTI people. This is because as we learned in terminology, we may believe that LGBTI people look, act, dress, or speak in a particular way. For that reason, we often do not realize we're serving LGBTI people. This is why you may hear them called invisible persons of concern to our organization. They are within the populations we serve but we can't necessarily see them. As you recall from the terminology section, you cannot tell someone it's LGBTI just by looking at them. Recall that perception is often based on stereotypes. The important thing to keep in mind is that we all know LGBTI people. We've all served LGBTI people and we should never assume we're not serving them. The answer to question 2 is C. More than 75 countries. Here's a map that depicts the countries in the world that criminalize same-sex relations. The countries in red, orange, and yellow criminalize same-sex relations, conduct, or identity. The countries in black have the death penalty for same-sex relations. The countries in light yellow are unclear. They have no laws in place but religious courts or other laws do prosecute in relation to sexual conduct. Let's take a moment to look at the countries in gray. This means there are no criminal laws in place. But these countries are not necessarily safe for LGBTI people. The lack of criminal laws does not equal state protection, societal protection, or societal acceptance. In short, a lack of criminalization does not equal safety. Additionally, criminal laws that are not applied does not equal safety within that country. Having criminal laws on the books can create an atmosphere of impunity within the society. Note that even in a country like the United States, not all states have had legal protections in place against workplace discrimination for LGBTI people. This map depicts the states where in 2014, you could be fired from your job in the US for being gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender with no legal repercussions. The dark blue indicates states with no protection in place for all LGBTI people. The light blue indicates states with protections in place for lesbian, gay, and bisexual people, but not for transgender or intersex people. The answer to question 4 is all but A. The UN report found that a wide range of state and non-state actors persecute and discriminate against LGBTI people. These include religious extremists, extreme nationalists, paramilitary groups, and state actors. As we've discussed, families and communities can be very dangerous. And in some countries, medical professionals take an active role in persecuting people through medical treatment that is intended to cure or fix the individual. In some countries, media organizations have been complicit in outing individuals. For example, in Uganda, newspapers such as Red Pepper have published names or pictures and personal information of people who are thought to be of diverse sexual orientation. These articles call for the individuals to be arrested or even killed. Finally, the neo-Nazis are the contemporary version of the Nazi Party. The Nazi Party, which existed from 1919 to 1945, was responsible for the holocaust that killed many millions of people. Among those killed were tens of thousands of LGBTI people. Men were made to wear a pink triangle, which represented homosexuality. Women were made to wear a black triangle, which represented social deviance. This is why today you often see a pink triangle as a symbol of solidarity for LGBTI people. Note that while international organizations have not necessarily participated in organized abuse, we know that abuse has occurred, often because staff members are not equipped with the knowledge or tools to properly assist LGBTI people. That is one of the reasons we're doing this briefing. Let's turn now to Question 5. According to the organization for security and cooperation in Europe, homophobic hate crimes and incidents often show a high degree of cruelty and brutality and include beatings, torture, mutilation, castration, and sexual assault. Why don't individuals report these crimes? All three of the reasons are applicable. Growing up in an environment where all you hear is negative messages about your sexual orientation or gender identity affects you psychologically on a deep level. It can cause intense feelings of shame of your identity and any crimes that are committed against you. This is sometimes called internalized homophobia. You also may feel unable to report crimes because the authorities could persecute you further or could out you to your family or community, leading to additional harm. Finally, the answer to Question 6 is B. The UN believes that LGBTI people are entitled to the same human rights protections as all other human beings without distinction based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. These rights are enshrined in international human rights instruments. The UN also believes that states should protect all asylum seekers and refugees from human rights violations, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, overturn their own discriminatory laws affecting LGBTI citizens, and offer protection from non-state agent harm and discrimination. Here are some useful guidance for learning more about LGBTI issues in relation to forced migration. Note there is not currently policy on LGBTI persons in relation to other forms of migration. The information in this quiz is drawn from the 2011 Human Rights Council's report, discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity, and its follow-up report issued on 4th May 2015. For LGBTI cases, UNHCR takes guidance from the guidelines on membership in a particular social group, and the UNHCR Guidelines on International Protection No. 9 claims to refugee status based on sexual orientation and or gender identity in the context of the 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol. This is their main source of substantive and procedural guidance on LGBTI claims. If you completed the bonus quiz, here are the answers to those questions. 1B, 2A, 3B, 4C, 5C, 6B, 7A, 8B, 9B, and C, 10B. Now let's review the key learning points from this section. LGBTI people face myriad forms of persecution in both their countries of origin and in countries of migration or asylum. They are often isolated due to family and community harm. Migrating from one's country of origin does not necessarily mean discrimination or persecution ceases. We are already serving LGBTI people. The UN situates the rights of LGBTI people in existing law using the Joe Jakarta principles. To read more about the Joe Jakarta principles, you can see the continued learning section of your participant workbook. The next section is successful communication. In this section, we'll learn basic skills you can use to communicate with LGBTI people. Please turn to page 14 in your workbook. Here we have two mock scripts of interactions between staff members and LGBTI persons the organization is serving. Please read the first script. Mark the things the staff member says that you believe are inappropriate. Take five minutes to do this and then we'll go through it. Please pause this webinar for five minutes while you complete the exercise. Let's go through the script and highlight the points at which the staff member could have said something more appropriate. The first point I'd like to draw your attention to is when the staff member says, Hmm, unfortunately I can't really say. I'm sorry I can't tell you more. Come back in a month. The staff member should have asked why Rheem is in danger. This would help the organization determine if there is updated information about her situation that will trigger expedited or additional assistance. The next problematic point is when the staff member says, Just a minute. I just need to answer this email. The staff member should not stop to do other work while someone is in front of them. One of the most important techniques of successful communication is paying attention to the person sitting in front of you. It should give that person your undivided attention in order to demonstrate you care and are listening. The staff member then says, If you feel that your family is in danger, you should talk to our protection unit, you know. The staff member should not interrupt Rheem, nor should they try to refer Rheem elsewhere before listening to the basic details of her story. Keep in mind it can be anxiety producing and require much courage to share one's sexual orientation or gender identity with a stranger. An individual who's done so should also be treated with kindness and respect. They should not be told they must share it elsewhere to seek assistance. The next problematic point is when the staff member says, Wow, I can't believe that. I'm sorry for my reaction, but I've never met someone like you before. Staff members often do not know how to respond to sensitive information being shared. They may have an inappropriate reaction such as laughing, gasping, not responding, showing discomfort, or even leaving the room. A better response would be, Thank you for sharing that. I know this can be difficult information to discuss. I'll do what I can to assist you. Thank you for sharing that with me indicates that you appreciate the individual sharing sensitive and personal information, that you are listening to them and that you care about what they're saying. Staff members should refrain from sharing personal commentary. Rather, they should ask the individual to provide more information about the situation. If you practice saying, Thank you for sharing that with me and have it in the forefront of your mind whenever you're speaking with any person you're serving, then you can feel confident and comfortable knowing that if someone shares sensitive information with you, that you will react in an appropriate, respectful, and empathetic manner. The final problematic point is when the staff member says, Hmm, maybe you can convince your family you're not a lesbian and they'll calm down. This is an unhelpful and inappropriate suggestion. The staff members should be focused on what they can do to assist Reem. We should never suggest someone end a relationship or lie about or conceal their sexual orientation in order to avoid persecution. Having to conceal when sexual orientation or gender identity is a fundamental violation of the human right to freedom of expression, the right to a private life, and several other rights. Living a life of concealment can also cause grave psychological harm. If you work in the area of protection and need to advise an individual regarding potential negative outcomes related to visibility in the context of the country in which they are residing, including recommendations related to how that visibility can affect their daily life, you should take the full LGBTI training. You should also keep in mind that some individuals cannot reduce their visibility due to a wide range of factors. Additionally, Reem has never stated that she identifies as a lesbian. We should not assign labels to individuals unless they themselves have used them. If Reem has not specified how she identifies herself, we might say in our referral or case notes that Reem has a diverse sexual orientation, or note that she is in a same-sex relationship. If Reem does use a specific word to describe herself, we can use that word. Note it's always helpful to clarify what the word means to the individual to ensure we have the same understanding of terminology. You can do this by asking them, what does that word mean to you? Now please turn to page 15 in your workbook. Please read the second script. Mark any things the staff member says that you believe are inappropriate. Take five minutes to do this and then we'll go through it. Please pause this webinar for five minutes while you complete the exercise. Let's now go through the second script and highlight the points at which the staff member could have said something more appropriate. The first point I'd like to draw your attention to is when the staff member says, just tell me what you want to talk about, no one's listening. A request to speak in a more private setting should always be respected if possible. Sharing sensitive information can be difficult and a lack of privacy is a primary deterrent to individuals doing so. The next problematic point is when the staff member says, I see here that you're listed as female. Your name is Neelam. Is that a mistake? The staff member is asked for the case number and then questions whether the information in the file is correct. This is not a sensitive way in which to ask someone to verify information. It indicates the staff member has not had training on serving transgender people. A more respectful way to ask this question would be, can you tell me more about your case or situation? The staff member then says, so you changed your name after you came here or did you have an operation to change to a man and then you changed it? The first question is phrased in an inappropriate manner. The staff member might instead ask, did you inform us at registration that you prefer to be called Neel? The second question is inappropriate to ask Neel in this context. First, Neel identifies as a man. He does not require an operation to change to be a man. His gender identity is male. His gender identity, preferred name, preferred pronoun and preferred means of assistance should be respected. Second, it's not appropriate to ask transgender individuals questions about bodily modifications in relation to their name, gender identity, shelter or other types of assistance. The only context in which asking such questions might be appropriate is in the RSD, refugee status determination or health assistance context. And then only if the questions are asked by staff members who have undergone comprehensive LGBTI training. The next problematic point is when the staff member says, that must have been a misunderstanding Neelum. The individual has just established that he prefers to be called Neel. The staff members should make a good faith effort to use the name Neel whenever possible. What should occur if the staff member accidentally uses the wrong name? They should apologize and correct themselves. The staff member then says, I can see that. I also thought you were a man. You would feel comfortable staying with a man then? This is an inappropriate and unhelpful comment. Neel is a man because he identifies as male. Rather than sharing personal observations, the staff member should express regret that arrangements were not in place to ensure Neel was treated with dignity and respect at the transit center. The final problematic point is when the staff member says, don't you think the men will feel uncomfortable with you and their dormitory and toilets? Neel should be allowed to use male toilets if that's where he feels comfortable. The question should not be what would make other people comfortable, but what would make Neel comfortable and what would ensure his safety and security. The reactions of others should be taken into consideration in the context of Neel's safety and security. Here are some basic communication tips that will help you address some of the key issues we've just highlighted. Listen patiently to the individual. Follow. Don't lead. Let them shape the conversation. Find a private space in which to speak unless absolutely unavoidable. Do not make someone speak with you in a place where they could be overheard. Acknowledge you've heard them and their experience by making confirming comments. Learn from them and practice active listening. Listen, then repeat what was said to ensure you understood accurately. Do not promise total confidentiality. The information may need to be noted in a file or shared with persons who can assist. If the person insists you share the information with no one else, you must explain that further assistance is reliant on confidentially sharing the information with trained colleagues. When working with less common cases, be sure to recall key terminology, key concepts and stereotypes you should avoid. This will ensure you conduct the meeting in a respectful and effective way. Let's now discuss how using an interpreter could have affected these interviews. There are several key challenges to successful interpretation. The first is the discomfort of an individual due to the attitude of the interpreter or discomfort of the interpreter due to the diverse sex, sexual orientation or gender identity of the person being interviewed. An interpreter may demonstrate through nonverbal cues or words that they are not comfortable working with the individual. The second is reluctance of an individual to share information based on factors like the gender, nationality or the attitude of the interpreter or assumptions the individual makes about the interpreter. This is especially common when the interpreter is from the same cultural community as the individual. The individual may assume, due to experiences with that community, that the interpreter will be prejudiced or will not maintain confidentiality. The third challenge is discrimination or abusive language on the part of the interpreter, especially if they are not trained. A staff member who does not speak the language of the individual may not realize the interpreter is using words or phrases that are disrespectful and the individual may feel unable to speak up. The fourth challenge is misunderstandings or incorrect language. Even if an interpreter is not using abusive or derogatory language, they may lack an understanding of terminology related to sex, sexual orientation and gender identity, and they may lack training on the subject in general. They thus may not correctly interpret what the individual is saying, which can lead to a host of challenges in assisting the individual. The final challenge is breaches of confidentiality by the interpreter. This is a real concern if the interpreter is not committed to the organization and its code of conduct in a sustained manner, and if the interpreter is prejudiced. Let's review the key learning points from communications. When someone says they are LGBT or I, respond by saying, thank you for sharing that with me. Ensure you understand what someone means when they say LGBTI by asking, what does that word mean to you? Refer to a transgender person using their preferred name and pronoun. If you're not sure what it is, ask. If you accidentally use the wrong name or pronoun, apologize. Do not ask lesbian, gay and bisexual people if they have a preferred name and pronoun. Do not ask someone if they're LGBTI. Instead, create safe spaces that encourage individuals to feel welcomed and safe sharing that sensitive information with you. The next section is safe spaces. This section will start a discussion about the reasons the people we serve may feel unable or reluctant to share information about their sex, sexual orientation or gender identity and how we can establish a safe and confidential space in which they may feel more comfortable speaking to us about being LGBTI. Let's first discuss what a safe space is. A safe space is any space including a forum, community, network, family, whether biological or chosen, or physically defined place where individuals can be honest about who they are without fear of judgment or reprisal. In this context, a safe space is any place where an LGBTI person we serve can share their diverse sex, sexual orientation and gender identity and feel confident that we'll treat that information appropriately, respectfully and confidentially. A safe space can be an office, a sub-office, an information center, a health center, a counseling center, or even a particular staff member. Welcoming people to share their diverse sex, sexual orientation and gender identity with us can be critical to providing effective assistance. Many LGBTI people are scared to inform us they're LGBTI because they fear discrimination, breaches of confidentiality, or being barred from benefits. Sometimes an office may have a reputation for being unwelcoming due to the experience of one or more persons they served or because of assumptions based on the nationalities of the staff. It can take a great deal of outreach and visual effort to overcome these beliefs. Most critical to gaining trust is ensuring confidentiality. LGBTI people must feel certain we will not share private information with family members or the community. It's also important that we have inclusive workplaces. An inclusive workplace is a workplace in which LGBTI colleagues feel comfortable being who they are and do not fear stigma, discrimination, harassment, or abuse. If an office does not establish an inclusive workplace for their LGBTI staff, then the staff at large will not take seriously our mandate to treat LGBTI people with respect. Additionally, our LGBTI staff members are a great resource for us on this and other diversity topics. Encouraging them to share their ideas can enrich our programming. Creating safe spaces and inclusive workplaces can be done in a number of ways. We can use visual tools such as signs, buttons, posters, videos, and handouts. We can make verbal announcements and hold trainings. We can ensure appropriate accommodations, programs, and services are in place. It's also important that anytime we're thinking about how to create safe spaces, we take into consideration the existing risk points within our offices or programs. Risk points are deterrents to safe spaces and inclusive workplaces. Part of creating safe spaces is deciding how to overcome these risk points. A risk point is any event, situation, conversation, or physical place where a person may face discrimination, exclusion, harassment, or persecution. Examples of risk points for LGBTI persons are families and communities, camps and temporary shelters, sanitation facilities such as showers and toilets, especially for transgender individuals. Centralized aid distribution areas and aid queues, information and registration points, health and counseling centers. During interactions with any organization where staff members have not been trained to work with LGBTI people. In any location where there is interface with government offices, at security and immigration points, and in detention. There are several key aspects to safe spaces. They are confidentiality. Individuals coming to our office must feel sure that the information they share with us will be treated with the appropriate confidentiality and not be shared with members of their family or community. This includes having a private space where they can share information with staff members and not be overheard by other staff members, interpreters, or individuals coming to the office for assistance. Respect. Individuals must know they will be treated with dignity and respect when they visit our offices. They should feel confident that whatever information they share will be treated respectfully and that they will not be rejected, belittled, harassed, or abused. Open communication. Individuals should feel that they can communicate with our staff members freely, sharing any information they believe is relevant to their case or situation. They should have a means of communicating easily with the office, especially to report any incidents or situations that place them at risk. A supportive atmosphere. The overall atmosphere of the office should be supportive of all types of diversity among the persons we serve. This may involve safe space campaigns such as posters, buttons, leaflets, videos, or spoken introductions by staff members. The office should be supportive not only of the individuals we serve, but also of our staff members. Trust building over time. We should remember that building trust takes time. Some offices have negative reputations due to the way in which people have been treated in the past. Some offices might be in locations where it's generally not safe to share information related to being LGBTI, so people might be wary about coming forward. In other cases, individuals simply might not know that the office is open, welcoming, and respectful towards persons of diverse sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Spreading that message and gaining the trust of individuals who can best benefit from sharing the information takes time. Please keep these aspects in mind as we turn to the exercise. Let's now turn to the exercise creating safe spaces. Please first review the safe space guidance on page 18. Then think about ways you can create safe spaces within your own offices. Please make a list using the worksheet on page 17 of your workbook. Your list should be your action plan that you intend to undertake following this training session. Your ideas should be diverse, actionable, and include who you would undertake the idea with and what the timeframe for the idea would be. You have 10 minutes to complete the exercise. Please pause this webinar for 10 minutes while you complete the exercise. If you're taking this webinar with a partner or group, please now take 10 minutes to share your ideas about how you can create safe spaces. If you're taking this webinar on your own, please take 10 minutes to review one of the resources in the Continued Learning Safe Spaces section of your participant workbook on page 23. Please pause this webinar for 10 minutes while you complete the discussion or resource review. Let's turn now to our second exercise, creating inclusive workplaces. An office that does not welcome, respect, and support LGBTI staff members will not be able to adequately welcome, respect, and support the LGBTI persons they serve. It's thus critical when we discuss safe spaces to include in that discussion a consideration of how we can make our own work environments safe spaces for LGBTI staff members. Please first take a couple minutes to review the inclusive workplaces guidance on page 20. Then consider the three scenarios on your worksheet and detail how you would address them in the office. You have 10 minutes to complete the exercise. Please pause this webinar for 10 minutes while you complete the exercise. If you're taking this webinar with a partner or group, please now take 10 minutes to share your ideas about the scenarios. If you're taking this webinar on your own, please take 10 minutes to review one of the resources in the Continued Learning Safe Spaces section of your participant workbook on page 23. Please pause this webinar for 10 minutes while you complete the discussion or resource review. Let's review the key learning points on safe spaces. A safe space is any place, whether a physical location, family, biological or chosen, or forum, in which individuals can feel supported and accepted expressing or exploring their sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Safe spaces ensure confidentiality and respect. Creating an atmosphere in which LGBTI people trust staff members takes time. Barriers to safe space campaigns may include national laws, stigma, or past events. It's equally important to ensure you have a welcoming and inclusive workplace for LGBTI colleagues. The next section is myths and realities. In this section, we'll review some of the common myths and realities about LGBTI people. I'm going to show you 15 statements. You must decide if each statement is a myth or a reality. I'll then show you the answer. If you're taking this webinar with a partner or group, you can say your answer out loud before the answer is displayed. We work with very few LGBTI people. Is this a myth or a reality? This is a myth. Many LGBTI people do not share their diverse sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity with us, but we're still working with them. Diversity and sexual orientation has spread from the West as a part of globalization. Is this a myth or a reality? This is a myth. Evidence of LGBTI people exists from around the world since the beginning of recorded history. Bisexuals are confused about whether they are really gay or straight. Is this a myth or a reality? This is a myth. Bisexuals are attracted to the person rather than the sex or the gender. Dating people of different sexes and genders does not reflect confusion about sexual orientation. Young men who grow up in a household with only women are more likely to be gay. Is this a myth or a reality? This is a myth. There's no evidence that your family composition growing up affects your sexual orientation. Gay and bisexual women generally act like men and gay and bisexual men generally act like women. Is this a myth or a reality? This is a myth. Just like heterosexual people, persons of diverse sexual orientations may express their gender in a wide variety of ways. We generally refer to a transgender person whose gender identity is male as he or him and to a transgender person whose gender identity is female as she or her. Is this a myth or a reality? This is a reality. A transgender person whose gender identity is male is generally referred to as he or him. A transgender person whose gender identity is female is generally referred to as she or her when in doubt ask. Intersex individuals may identify as the gender they were assigned at birth or as another gender. Is this a myth or a reality? This is a reality. Gender identity is a separate characteristic than sex. People who identify as intersex may have a gender identity of male, female or something else. You cannot tell someone is LGBTI by the way they look, dress, act or speak. Is this a myth or a reality? This is a reality. Appearance and behavior are not accurate indicators of sexual orientation. Persons of diverse sexual orientations may marry different sex partners due to family, cultural, religious or social pressures or norms. Is this a myth or a reality? This is a reality. In many places around the world, persons of diverse sexual orientations marry different sex partners in order to conform to religious society or familial expectations. Someone can know what their sexual orientation is before they've had a sexual experience. Is this a myth or a reality? This is a reality. People in general do not need to experience sex to know who they're attracted to. A higher percentage of gay and bisexual men are pedophiles than heterosexual men. Is this a myth or a reality? This is a myth. Studies have shown that at least 95% of pedophiles are heterosexual. Not all men who identify as gay or bisexual have HIV. Is this a myth or a reality? This is reality. Having a diverse sexual orientation does not mean you have a higher risk of contracting HIV. Rather, risky sexual behavior leads to higher rates of HIV. In same sex relationships, one individual acts as the man and one individual acts as the woman. Is this a myth or a reality? This is a myth. Like different sex relationships, same sex relationships involve a wide range of complex dynamics and are dependent on the couple. Every relationship is as unique as the people engaged in it. If an LGBTI person has never experienced harm because they have been able to hide their sexual orientation or gender identity, their rights have not been violated. Is this a myth or a reality? This is a myth. Being compelled to conceal being LGBTI in order to avoid harm is a fundamental violation of the right to freedom of expression and the right to live with security of person with full recognition before the law. LGBTI people may be more susceptible to mental illness and substance abuse, not because they're LGBTI, but because of the stigma they face. Is this a myth or a reality? This is a reality. Studies have found that LGBTI people may have higher rates of mental illness and substance abuse than the general population. However, this is not because they're LGBTI. Rather, it's because they face isolation, discrimination, and persecution in their daily lives. We will now move on to frequently asked questions. The first question is, what is the difference between advising someone to conceal to avoid persecution and advising someone to temporarily keep a low profile for protection-related purposes? We should always be careful about suggesting that someone conceal their sexual orientation in order to avoid persecution. Asking someone to conceal in order to avoid harm implies they're not entitled to basic human rights. We also understand that concealment causes serious psychological harm. It requires someone not only to hide who they are, but often to engage in a wide range of activities to prove they are heterosexual, including marrying someone of a different sex and entering into sexual relations with them. For some people, this results in marital rape. Note that asking someone to conceal their identity in order to avoid persecution in the long term is different than advising an individual who is temporarily living in a country about the risks related to being LGBTI in that particular country. In some instances, staff members may feel they need to advise someone that keeping a low profile could be in their best interest and help them avoid such situations as harassment, abuse, arrest, detention, or deportation. This should only be advised for them in the short term until a long-term durable solution becomes available. Staff members should always keep in mind, however, that for some individuals concealment is not possible, and they may not be able to use invisibility as a survival mechanism. Staff members should also keep in perspective the human rights violations and other long-term psychological consequences related to concealment. If the Universal Declaration of Human Rights says everyone has the right to marry, does that mean someone is persecuted because their country doesn't allow same-sex marriage? The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states everyone has the right to marry and form a family. It does not say the marriage must be to a different sex partner. The question of whether being denied the right to marry constitutes persecution is one that's being debated in many places, including in courts. In July 2015, the fourth section of the European Court of Human Rights issued a judgment in the case, Olegari and others versus Italy, which had three male same-sex couples who complained that under Italian law, they were unable to get married or enter into a civil union and were thus being discriminated against on the grounds of their sexual orientation. The Court found for the first time that the inability of same-sex couples to gain legal recognition other than marriage in a country that only offers marriage to different sex couples amounts to a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Italian legislature will now have to prove same-sex couples can access some form of civil unions. To read the judgment, see the link in the continued learning section of your participant workbook. Why does this training use a term sex or sex assigned at birth rather than biological sex? The phrase biological sex incorrectly implies scientific objectiveness in determining an individual's sex. Sex is comprised of a number of different factors, including chromosomal makeup, which can include such variations as XXX, XXY, XYY, and X0, in addition to the more common XX and XY variations, secondary sex characteristics such as breasts or an Adam's apple, internal reproductive structures including ovaries and testes, and external genitalia such as vaginas and penises. Most people never have tests to determine the composition of their chromosomes. Others may not realize they have differing internal and external sexual organs unless they encounter fertility issues. For this reason, many intersex people do not know their intersex until later in life, if ever. Generally, a doctor, midwife, or other individual delivering a baby determines the infant's sex based on the appearance of external genitalia alone. External genitalia may or may not be aligned with other sex determinants which are not visible. Thus, the sex assigned at birth is not necessarily biological. This is why we say sex assigned at birth when referring to an individual's sex rather than sex or biological sex. Additionally, some transgender people find the phrase biological sex offensive because it's frequently been used to discredit their gender identity by implying that the sex they were assigned at birth is immutable and is the only way to determine their real gender. Can intersex and transgender people have children? Some but not all intersex people may have difficulty with fertility. Frequently, infertility is a side effect of the surgeries conducted on intersex children to quote-unquote correct their genitalia. As with intersex people, the fertility of transgender people varies from person to person. Someone may identify as transgender without undergoing medical transition such as hormones or surgery and would maintain fertility. Those who undergo top surgery, breast augmentation or reduction, would also maintain fertility. If a transgender person has bottom surgery, the variety of surgeries available mean they may be able to become pregnant or contribute to a pregnancy through in vitro fertilization. The effect of hormones on fertility is not completely known. Both masculinizing and feminizing hormone replacement therapy may lead to infertility over a period of time. If an intersex or transgender person cannot contribute biologically to a pregnancy, there are other ways they may have children including surrogacy, adoption, and fostering children. If a transgender person identifies as female and dates women, does that mean she's a lesbian? Or is she straight because she was assigned the sex of male at birth? Just like gender identity, individuals determine what their sexual orientation is, no one can determine it for them. A transgender person may identify as straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, or in another way. A transgender woman who dates women may identify as lesbian, gay, queer, or in another way. A transgender man who dates women may identify as heterosexual, bisexual, or in another way. A transgender man who dates men may identify as gay, queer, or in another way. Some individuals may not identify with any particular label. Only an individual can tell you how they identify. The sex an individual is assigned at birth is unrelated to their sexual orientation. Why does bisexual refer to attraction to men and women instead of meaning a person is both male and female? Bisexual is a sexual orientation. A bisexual person has the capacity for attraction to persons of more than one gender. Sex refers to being male, female, or intersex. The idea that there is a sex that is, quote, both male and female, unquote, is outdated and should be avoided. Likewise, the idea that bisexual refers only to attraction to men and women is outdated. As we've learned, there are more than two sexes and many manifestations of gender. Bisexual people can be in long-term relationships with someone of either the same sex or a different sex and still identifies bisexual. This is because they experience attraction to more than one gender. Engaging in a long-term relationship or marriage doesn't change that. It just means the individual is no longer single. Similar to how a heterosexual woman may still find men attractive while in a relationship or marriage with a man, someone's sexual orientation doesn't cease to exist once they enter a relationship. Thus, a bisexual person entering a long-term relationship does not become heterosexual or homosexual based on the person they date or marry. How can I be sure I don't say the wrong thing to an LGBTI person? A good rule of thumb is don't say anything to an LGBTI person that you wouldn't say to a heterosexual person. For instance, if you wouldn't ask a heterosexual person why they got married, don't ask an LGBTI person why they got married. If you wouldn't ask a heterosexual person if they've tried dating someone of the same sex to ensure they're really straight, don't ask a gay or lesbian person if they've dated someone of a different sex to ensure they're gay. If you would not ask a heterosexual person invasive questions about their sexual practices, don't ask a gay person invasive questions about sex. If you wouldn't call being heterosexual a lifestyle or agenda, don't call being LGBTI those terms. Another helpful hint is to try your best. If you're worried you've said something offensive, ask. If you know you've said something incorrect, apologize and correct yourself. Trying your best and treating everyone with dignity and respect, regardless of their sex, sexual orientation or gender identity will lead to success. How can I convince other people to see LGBTI issues the way I do? Your approach to discussing LGBTI issues should be one of openness. Listen carefully when others are speaking. Think through your own opinions, stances and beliefs. Examine your own biases. Remembering we are all the product of our communities, societies, backgrounds, histories and educations. When you examine your own beliefs, including the stereotypes you've been taught and listen openly to the opinions of others, you may find that it's easier to engage in dialogue on this sensitive and complicated topic. If you believe someone is using stereotypes or myths to express their ideas, address them by offering alternatives to those stereotypes or myths. If someone is expressing an opinion about a topic that's widely debated, such as how sexual orientation is formed, acknowledge the issue as a difficult one that may not be easily resolved through discussion and find a point of common agreement, such as the concept that regardless of how sexual orientation is formed, all people are entitled to fundamental human rights and dignity. How many people are LGBTI? The US Kinsey study from the 1950s estimated that up to 10% of people were non-heterosexual at some point in their lifetime. A more recent US study by the Gates Foundation found that approximately 4% of individuals were LGBT. The I was not included. A study in the UK found that approximately 8% of citizens were LGBTI. Studies in other areas of the world are less common or non-existent due to a range of factors, including a lack of willingness on the part of institutions or the government, the criminalization of same-sex relationships, the risks of reporting sex, sexual orientation and gender identity, and the difficulty of defining related terminology for the purposes of a survey. This doesn't mean other areas of the world don't have LGBTI people. LGBTI people exist in every city, country, and region of the world. It's also helpful to keep in mind that, regardless of what percentage of the human population is LGBTI, the UN believes that sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity are fundamental characteristics and that the right to express your sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity without fear of discrimination or persecution is fundamental to human dignity. Shouldn't we just mainstream this issue? Services and programs designed to address the needs of other populations, such as women and girls, are not necessarily designed to meet the unique needs of LGBTI people. While LGBTI considerations should be mainstreamed into all programming in terms of the population being considered and served when planning is undertaken, we should not assume that programs serving other at-risk populations will be suitable for LGBTI people, or that staff members working on those programs will understand how to serve LGBTI people. Be careful that mainstreaming doesn't mean adding LGBTI to a list of other groups on paper, but not following up with the specific programming that's needed. Thank you for participating in the LGBTI Briefing session webinar. You can access the other modules of this training package on UNHCR's Learn and Connect or by contacting IOM at gcuatioem.int. If you have any questions about the material this session contains, please see the participant workbook guidance sections or contact IOM at gcuatioem.int. Thank you. The development of this training package was made possible through the generous support of the American people through the Bureau of Population, Migration and Refugees, PRM, of the United States Department of State as part of the project, sensitization and adjudication training on refugees, fleeing persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The content does not necessarily reflect the views of PRM or the United States. Acknowledgements. UNHCR and IOM would like to thank Jennifer Rumbach for authoring this training package, Elkina Polatano for the package design, Gabriel Chavar for their contributions to editing and on the topics of health and SCBV, and the numerous experts from UNHCR who have been involved in providing feedback on the content of this training package to ensure a high quality resource.