Alphabet Soup

Goodreads review:
This book is a helpful guide for supervisors and hiring managers to learn how to create safe space, attract and retain LGBTQ2+ workers while also recognizing your own areas of privilege and accountability to creating and maintaining safe space. The first three chapters cover personal story and definitions, while the rest talk specifically about creating and sustaining safety for LGBTQ2+ folx. Well worth reading.

Thank you! I this book was incredibly helpful for me as a supervisor. I will likely re-read multiple times.

I really appreciated the humor in this book, since a lot of books in this genre can be kind of dry and repetitive. This book starts you at the very beginning with various definitions so that you can understand the language used when discussing LGBTQ2+ topics and communities. I loved the analogies, such as the genderbread person, and also the list of questions about sexual orientation and gender identity that people within LGBTQ2+ communities get asked all the time but other people do not. This was helpful in understanding my own privilege, and I can see myself using these analogies in the future to help educate others. Finally, the practical advice on how to create safe space in the workplace was invaluable. I plan to get started right away!

Thank you to Michael Bach, Page Two and NetGalley for the opportunity to access this free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Great book for allies and for people at work who maybe don’t get the why. Does a great job laying everything out and helping people understand the experience of LGBTQ2+ people. Recommending this to my employee resource group.

I think all cishet people need to read this, whether they are employers or not. Some laws and cultural aspects mentioned here don't apply everywhere, but in general, it's a book good that provides basic knowledge about LGBTQ+ communities and why inclusion is important and even profitable.

A good primer for those who wish to learn more about the LGBTQIA+ community. I think this is an introduction to being an all-around better person, colleague, and candidate for a job in the 2020s.

This book is excellent as a first read for people looking at LGBTQ2+ in the workplace or in regards to life in general. It is easy to read and informative. As a member of the LGBTQ2+ community I was not expecting to learn anything in this book but I found it surprisingly eye opening especially as a recruiter. The general knowledge in the book such as definitions and descriptions are handy for people wanting to understand the LGBTQ2+ community and delivered in an easy to digest way. This book has pushed me to have the conversation at work to ensure we are being more proactive in our inclusion and not being an inactive bystander. So thank you for this book and for the help that it has provided me and many others.

Michael Bach:
"[...] If your organization has ten or more people, statistically speaking there is a really good chance that people working for or with you identify as LGBTQ2+. If you don't know who they are yet, it is a good indicator that you need to work on creating a more inclusive space."

Me:
"Oh. Fuck."

When I requested 'Alphabet Soup' I expected an interesting read, something to nourrish my mind.
What I did not expect was something that challenged me emotionally, led to many discussions with friends and co-workers, and will probably result in a long-term change of my behaviour.

I strongly recommend this book to ... well ... everyone. But mostly to cis hetero people who want that everyone can feel as safe as themself.

Thanks to NetGalley and Michael Bach for the ARC!

This book was an amazing insight into a community I thought I was well aware of... boy was I wrong! Great information on the LGBTQ2+ communities as well as insight on how to be an effective manager. Highly recommend this book for anyone who is wanting or needing more information, and it was a very easy light read with bits of humor strewn throughout.

Is this book really informative? Yes
Will it greatly help people in higher up/manager roles be more inclusive of people in the LGBTQ+ community? Yes
Is it without flaws? No. And some of them are quite hurtful. :/

General review: This book is a great first stop for organizations looking to further Diversity & Inclusion in their spaces. It gives a lot of information on the LGBTQ+ community and some great tips and how-tos.
The humor, even if not for me, makes it an easier read and (not to be shady) I do think the people this book is marketed towards will appreciate it.

The problems:
Now, there's a few problems that I really think need to be highlighted. I think the issue, for points 1-3, is THE SOURCE of the information, aka the "online dictionary" from a cis het man - I wouldn't immediately consider this an issue, but if done by actual queer people this wouldn't have happened -, and the government source (not always super up-to-date).
1. for the MILLIONTH TIME: bisexuals are NOT trans exclusive! The definition has been "one or more genders" for so long and the community has been saying for YEARS that the "tends to be more specific to cisgender people" idea untrue, unfounded and extremely hurtful to bi people. bi people include trans peole in their sexual attraction and saying the opposite is both transphobic and biphobic. This was awful to read, especially in this type of book. I really considered dnf'ing for this alone. I really hope it gets fixed.
2. I think gay is an extremely umbrella term. And I think many queer women feel the same, as I have seen many gay women identify as... gay. I'm all for queer and the acronym, but saying no one but gay men use the term gay is... false.
3. This one is from a government source. On page 172 it is written as an example to put as gender identification answers "Man/ Trans/... Woman". I find this strange - A trans person will not exclude the other labels. I found it odd after the pages before explaining so much about HOW to deal with gender on forms.
4. One thing I thought was lacking was, ironically, the consideration of the queer people at the organization. Should we go to the seminars too? A small text line would be helpful, as I think that will be a doubt that will crop up.
5. The last thing that really irked me, much like #1, probably because I'm writing this after the Harry Styles' Variety interview debacle, was reading "Your advertising doesn't have to be overt (no one actually wants to see a picture of people kissing; there's a name for that:porn)." (Page 191). I'm sorry, and I know the Puriteens may come for me on this one, but seeing people kiss on an ad isn't porn, it isn't even soft porn; it's nowhere near porn unless the kiss is happening during sex (which as we all know has never been used as a marketing device btw. and not in a variety of PG-R classifications). This "joke" wasn't it.

This is a fantastic, comprehensive, and well-written book about creating LGBTQ2+ inclusive workplaces. While the author begins the book with some definitions and terms that may be familiar, it was a nice review and I learned some new terms as well. Bach infuses humor throughout the book, making it read and if you’re talking with a friend. The points he makes about inclusion and belonging are clearly made and contain powerful insight. I appreciate the helpful tips to make your Diversity and Inclusion initiatives more fulsome - we will be incorporating a lot of this information at my office!