From Safe Spaces to Health Equity: How ETR's Queer and Trans Affinity Group (QTs) are Transforming Organizational Culture
By Kristin Kennedy, MS, MPH, CPH | October 3, 2024
The fight for LGBTQ+ rights has always been about pursuing health equity and justice. Landmark events such as the Gene Compton’s Cafeteria Riot in 1966 and the Stonewall Uprising in 1969 laid the groundwork for modern LGBTQ+ activism, highlighting the power of community action.
As LGBTQ+ communities face increasing challenges today, the solidarity among LGBTQ+ individuals and allies is crucial for advancing health, rights, and opportunities.
Workplace affinity groups, or employee resource groups (ERGs), have evolved significantly from their origins in the civil rights movements of the 1960s and 1970s.
Although Hewlett Packard established the first ERG for LGBTQ+ employees in 1978, it wasn’t until much later that the concept gained formal recognition. As organizations ramp up their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, these groups are becoming essential for fostering inclusive workplaces and adapting to cultural shifts, such as those driven by the COVID-19 pandemic.
ETR’s Dedication to Health Equity
ETR envisions a world where all individuals and communities achieve their best health aligning with the ongoing struggles of LGBTQ+ communities. Our support for workplace affinity groups like the QTs of ETR reflects our commitment to improving the health and well-being of youth and communities by championing science. These groups not only create safe spaces but also advocate for the well-being of historically marginalized staff, bridging civil rights activism with our broader health equity goals.
Empowering the QTs of ETR
Officially established in late 2021 as a small, peer-led group dedicated to creating a safe space for staff, the QTs of ETR have since tripled in size. The group hosts monthly meetings and special events that promote unity, resilience, and advocacy—celebrating Queer and Trans joy. This space also serves as an incubator for generating ideas on promoting LGBTQ+ health and wellness within ETR’s work. It provides a safe environment for members to discuss personal challenges related to bias and discrimination, and to recommend robust policies that support LGBTQ+ staff.
Achievements and Progress: A Snapshot
Since its inception, the QTs of ETR have contributed to several key agency accomplishments:
- Enhanced Data Collection: The QTs have improved data collection practices for our annual staff engagement survey, providing better insights into LGBTQ+ staff experiences, including a clearer distinction between non-binary and transgender identities.
- Increased LGBTQ+ Representation: Highlighting the affinity group during recruitment may have contributed to the significant increase in LGBTQ+ representation among ETR staff. The percentage of staff identifying as Transgender/Non-Binary or other identities rose from 0.1% in 2019 to 8% in 2023, while those identifying as Lesbian, Gay, or other sexual orientations grew substantially from 19% to 39%.
- Health Benefits Recommendations: The group successfully advocated for enhanced health benefits to better support the diverse needs of LGBTQ+ employees. Before 2023, both gender-affirming care and fertility services were available in only a limited number of ETR plans. After listening to the needs of LGBTQ+ employees, gender-affirming care and fertility services were added to ETR’s health benefits package for all employees.
Their efforts have also driven impactful agency initiatives, including:
- Partnering with the Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DIB) workgroup to deliver all-staff trainings.
- Expanding gender-affirming policies
- Collaborating with the People and Culture team to outline accountability practices and restorative process for addressing harm.
Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future
The journey of the QTs of ETR highlights the power of affinity groups in driving systemic change. By gaining leadership support and addressing challenges, the QTs have made ETR’s policies and culture more inclusive, improving the experiences of LGBTQ+ staff and enhancing the organization’s ability to serve its community. These internal changes ripple outward, enabling ETR to partner with Trans-led health organizations and to advocate for LGBTQ+ communities. 
As organizations like ETR adopt more inclusive practices, they set new standards, fostering broader social change.
In fact, the work of the QTs was highlighted at the National LGBTQ Health Conference in August, where ETR presented on the affinity group’s initiatives and their role in driving health equity. Sharing insights from this journey with a national audience not only demonstrated the effectiveness of affinity groups in fostering internal change but also provided a model for other organizations focused on LGBTQ+ health initiatives. Presenting at such a high-profile event underscores the importance of sharing our learnings and amplifying efforts that prioritize health equity for LGBTQ+ communities.
This LGBTQ+ History Month and beyond, ETR continues to support and expand the QTs, and we honor our long history of LGBTQ+ activism while advancing our mission to shaping the future of LGBTQ+ health equity.
Kristin Kennedy, MS, MPH, CPH (she/they), is a Program Manager at ETR with 15 years of experience in race, gender identity, sexual orientation, HIV, sexual and reproductive health, positive youth development, and health equity. They specialize in designing, implementing, evaluating, and scaling sexual and reproductive health programs, particularly for Queer and Trans Youth of Color in the US South, using technical expertise and creative solutions to drive innovation. Kristin can be reached at kristin.kennedy@etr.org.
