June 2019 - Parks & Recreation - 42

PHOTOS COURTESY METRODC PFLAG

SOCIAL EQUITY

This Pride Month Make a Commitment
to Being LGBTQ Affirming
By Jason Shriner

W

hen I first started working in the City of Manassas Park
Department of Parks and Recreation in January of 2012,
I was a baking instructor. At the time, I was publicly out
as a queer person, but I still strategically chose when to
disclose that information in person to anyone. I had never worked for a
government agency before, and being an instructor was a dream job for
me, so I decided that I didn't want to take any risks and chose to keep my
identity to myself.
Today, I am the marketing
manager for the department and
am open about my identity. As a
queer person on staff and an active LGBTQ advocate, I am fortunate to be able to bring ideas to the
department's leadership, which is
supportive and affirming, on how
we can ensure we are being inclusive of the LGBTQ community.
With June being Pride Month for
many localities around the coun-

40

Parks & Recreation

try, I would like to challenge you
to make changes to make your department more affirming as well.

Don't assume that LGBTQ
people aren't already
coming to your facilities.
When I advise colleagues on
LGBTQ affirming changes, I often hear that some of the changes might be too burdensome for
a small demographic. According

| J U N E 2 0 1 9 | W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G

to a 2017 Gallup poll, 5.3 percent
of Americans identify as LGBTQ,
which is approximately 17 million
people. Gallup also suggests that
as society becomes more affirming, people will be more likely to
openly identify as LGBTQ (both
in person and on a survey). Queer
people are already coming to your
facilities and even more want to,
so making affirming changes will
help them feel they belong to the
community - a role all park and
recreation departments should be
working toward.

Make real and visible
partnerships with LGBTQ
organizations in your
community.
You could offer free space for



June 2019 - Parks & Recreation

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