Zackary Drucker/The Gender Spectrum Collection
LGBTQ workers face discrimination in the workplace - even from coworkers who have good intentions.
- LGBTQ workers face discrimination in the workplace - even from coworkers who have good intentions.
- Asking invasive questions about an LGBTQ coworker's personal life or referring to them with the wrong pronoun can be dehumanizing and make them feel uncomfortable in their work environment.
- We asked experts to name 12 common things you should never do or say to your LGBTQ coworkers.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
On October 8, the US Supreme Court will hear three cases to determine whether or not anti-discrimination protections in the workplace cover the rights of LGBTQ people.
The cases have highlighted some of the hardships LGBTQ workers face while on the job, including comments from their straight and cisgender coworkers that make it difficult to feel comfortable in their work environments.
Even the most progressive of coworkers who consider themselves allies might still make subtle comments that are inadvertently harmful or disrespectful to their LGBTQ coworkers. Such actions are called microaggressions, and are often subtle and the result of implicit biases.
"Microaggressions are the everyday reminder that many people, including people we have to interact with regularly, still don't respect LGBTQ identities," Fran Hutchins, deputy director of Equality Federation, said.
With that in mind, here are 12 things you should never say to your LGBTQ coworkers.