Fri. September 28, 2012
Chicago, IL -
Affinity Community Services, the Gender and Sexuality Center at UIC, Illinois Safe Schools Alliance and The Civil Rights Agenda are pleased to announce a new initiative that invites lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community members to Share Your Story to Make a Better CTA.
The four organizations are working with the Chicago Transit Authority to make the transit system and workplace environment more inclusive and safe for all individuals and help prevent discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. The LGBTQ and allied community are an important part of the CTA's ridership and staff, and we are working with CTA to increase the quality of service the CTA provides to the LGBTQ community. By asking LGBTQ Chicagoans to provide feedback on their experiences related to discrimination, the organizations will work in partnership with the CTA to make the CTA a model of LGBTQ respect.
The CTA has partnered with the four organizations to roll out a training program, designed by the organizations, to all of their approximately 10,000 CTA employees in 2012-13. This training program will educate the staff on sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination, providing guidelines for inclusive employment practices and progressive social understanding of the LGBTQ community. This training aids employers in ensuring their compliance with the Illinois Human Rights Act, The Cook County Human Rights ordinance and the Chicago Human Rights Ordinance which protects individuals from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The stories that are submitted will help bring a human element to the training and share real stories of how the LGBTQ community interacts with the CTA on a daily basis. They will also help to provide real examples of the discrimination that the LGBTQ community faces as riders of the CTA.
To assist Affinity Community Services, the Gender and Sexuality Center at UIC, Illinois Safe Schools Alliance and The Civil Rights Agenda in this initiative and to Share Your CTA Story, please fill the survey at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/C5Q68N3.
(From news release)
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