Description
There are many careers, courses and resources that support and help the LGBTQ+ community as well as Gender Inequality, Black women Lives, and multicultural communities that still struggle to be themselves as privilege isn’t fair for them.
LGBTQ+ and Multiculturalism go hand-in-hand in a very unique way, especially when it comes to western and eastern cultures. The LQBTQ+ communities have fought to obtain their rights, as they have experienced systematic stigmatization and exclusion from mainstream cultures.
Collection
Education
Depending on the type of work one wants to do, possible majors could include or revolve around medicine, psychology, social work/social justice, gender, women’s, and sexuality studies, nursing, law, and more. Levels of education can also vary; for example, many social work and teaching positions require a master’s degree, most medical jobs require a Doctorate or nursing degree of some kind, and law careers often require a Juris Doctor (law school). They also may require further educational experiences.
Of these majors, studying GWSS is the most connected to LGBTQ+ issues, and will provide invaluable knowledge about multiple areas of the subject. Although due to the framework of intersectionality, these studies will probably include information about multiculturalism, one will likely also benefit from studying or taking classes in social work/social justice fields and possibly in human rights.
Course Suggestions
Given the importance of these topics, there are several courses that can be helpful to develop further knowledge and understanding of multicultural communities that are marginalized and constantly fighting for their rights. Additionally, these courses relate to the LGBTQ+, gender inequality, and the black community.
African American Studies Courses (Recommended)
- AFAM:2076 Race, Ethnicity, and Media
- AFAM:2267 African American History to 1877: From Slave Cabin to Senate Floor
- AFAM:3100 Critical Race Theory: Culture, Power, and Society
- AFAM:3110 Race, Organizations, and Workplace
- AFAM:3260 Violence in Black America
If you want to find more: African American Studies Catalog
Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies Courses and LGBTQ+ (Recommended)
- GWSS:1001 Introduction to Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies
- GWSS:1002 Diversity and Power in the U.S.
- GWSS:1003 Introduction to Social Justice
- GWSS:1310 Gender and Society
- GWSS:2300 Race, Class, Gender, and Labor: Worker Struggles for Legal Rights in the United States
If you want to find more: Gender, Women's and and Sexuality Studies Catalog
Suggested experiences
Certificates
In order to strengthen your attitude toward LGBTQ issues, you could certificate programs so that not only you could prove that you have great understanding by simply holding those certificates, but also you could dig down deeper into the field. In fact, the University of Iowa provides some available certificate programs on campus.
Also, there are a number of related courses open to any outsider students in other universities in the US.
Multicultural Nonprofits Where You Can Volunteer and Get Involved
There’s a variety of organizations to volunteer on an international scale. Organizations dedicated to multicultural LGBTQ+ communities, as well as organizations to help fight against gender inequality are available. Western cultures struggle because of their religions.
Pitch a workshop and take part in events
Now that a lot of organizations are supporting sexual minority people, you can search many opportunities locally as well. Socializing with people who have interests in those issues or directly reaching those people, you would expand your viewpoint broader.
We offer links to many possible organizations below under “Resources.”
Looking at equality fields but not sure how to find one for you? There are multiple ways of searching jobs related to multicultural and LGBTQ+ equality. In order to seek one, you can simply type down some keywords such as multicultural, diversity, LGBTQ+, gender, sexuality, etc., to the search box in major job search engines.
However, it is crucial for your success to go through a proper process of narrowing down your interests. Although the multicultural equality field seems quite specific, there are still lots of different opportunities and types of jobs within it. For instance, you could work in an HR department to contribute to the diversified work environment, or maybe as a journalist or editor in a media (newspaper/tv/etc.) company to spread awareness about social issues such as ethnic and sexual minority. To determine what kind of work as an social justice advocacy you may want in your future career(s), you might follow the following steps:
- Educate yourself in social justice in multicultural fields
- It’s important to be well-educated and knowledgeable. It helps you be better prepared for both your potential careers and job interviews.
- Narrow down your interests towards issues and decide what specific cultures and inequality issues you want to support.
- Figure out what you like, or what drives you the most. In social justice, it’s important to recognize that, while all issues are important, it’s usually best to devote your time and effort towards a more specific area.
- Find jobs
- Look for specific opportunities related to the field and/or issues you want to support. Decide what jobs you might want to apply to or look into further. There are lots of different places to search for job listings, so spend time on this and be sure to use your resources.
- Research company policies and potential employers
- See if it seems like an environment you would like to work in and do well in, and make sure your values and skills will be a good fit for the specific position and company. Go to company websites and, if possible, find information from current or former employees.
- Customize your application materials
- Make sure to respond to the job listing/ad and the company. Show them you’ve done your research, and are the person they are looking for to fill the role. Focus on key words in the job description and company website, and make sure to address them in your cover letter, resume, etc.
- Prepare your responses for interviews
- You should never go to a job interview without preparation and prior thought. Make sure to have some ideas about answers to common questions (such as those about leadership, management, past experience, etc.); not only this will make you less nervous, but it will also help you look more professional and better convince your potential employers to choose you for the position.
Local LGBTQ resources
Multicultural Women Organizations
These resources show different organizations that help fight against different social rights. These resources help women in the black communities, eastern and western communities around the globe.
Mainly Focused on Black Women’s Lives and Gender Injustice (International Scale)
Mainly focused on African and Middle Eastern and Eastern Organizations
Multicultural LGBTQ+ Organizations
These resources are mainly focusing on marginalized communities that struggle in their countries. Mainstream cultures lack support and advocacy towards the black trans community, the Immigrant LGBTQ+ community, eastern countries that have strong religious roots against the community, and much more.