Araneta City boosts SOGIE understanding with internal seminar
As part of its 2023 Pride Month celebration, Araneta City reinforces its support for inclusivity and understanding of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression (SOGIE) with the "Just Let Us Be: Gender and Sexuality Sensitivity" seminar at the Aurora Tower on June 15.
University professor and human rights advocate Ameerah Milano facilitated the seminar with attendees from different business units and departments of the Araneta Group. The initiative is aimed to deepen the employees' awareness of various gender identities and expressions, and to make the City of Firsts more gender-responsive.
Milano tackled topics about gender mainstreaming and development, core messages on gender mainstreaming, and SOGIESC. She opened the discussion with the attendees’ understanding of gender concepts such as sex and gender, gender roles, and biases. Employees quickly admitted that there’s a lot to be learned in providing a safe and inclusive environment for the LGBTQIA community.
“Gender sensitivity seminars like this provide a deeper understanding of the roles of all genders in society, and it made a way to help us realize how to treat everyone with compassion and respect. It also helps every individual develop the way they communicate with others to create a safe space for LGBTQIA+ members to freely express themselves without being judged,” Arlene Arada, Farmers Plaza property manager and one of the attendees, said.
Previous incidents in Araneta City involving the LGBTQ community were also shared by the Property Managers. Milano commended Araneta Group on how it was able to address the issue and resolve the problem. The session concluded with a discourse on ways to improve company policies, programs, and practices on LGBTQIA+ inclusion.
“Araneta City is one of the few companies that recognize the need to be gender-responsive. Opening a dialogue on gender sensitivity here at the City of Firsts is a development to fully understand and embrace inclusivity and diversity. And I am more than happy to be part of this initiative,” Milano said.
Araneta City celebrates #EveryHueInYou for this year’s Pride Month.
