How to support people’s identities
As you get to know more people in your life, some of them will surprise you.
They may begin to embrace the freedom to reveal and express their true identities. Some of them will reveal that they are gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, or a different identity or group of identities. If we see all our community members living fully as who they are, we will have a richer and more joyous College. This is something to celebrate. It is an environment we all anticipate and aspire to create.
The purpose of this webpage is to help you support others in living their authentic identities, whether you want to become an official ally or not. The principles on this page apply to everyone, no matter your identity, orientation, or experiences. They apply to people who are part of well-represented groups and under-represented groups.
We realize that full acceptance and inclusion of all our colleagues and students and their various identities can come as a surprise. It can be a shock when someone reveals a significant truth about themselves that you did not know -- whether the truth is a matter of identity or life experience. You might have questions or concerns as you determine how to be fully supportive and honor these individuals. Keep in mind, the person is still the same person you worked with or studied with in the past. You just have additional information about their identity or experiences.
We all want to work to be our best selves, and to strengthen our connections and support for one another. Please join Henry Ford College in the following commitments:
All relationships and interactions on our campuses begin with respect. We honor the dignity and value of each person. We treat every person with respect at all times.
We do the work. We accept personal responsibility to learn substantially about the broad diversity that makes our campuses welcoming, inclusive, and rich. We do not require others to give us the summary (or long) version of their lives, cultures, and traditions.
We address and refer to our colleagues and students by their chosen names. We use their chosen pronouns in every communication and interaction with or about them.
When we ask questions, we keep them respectful and dignified. We seek reliable outside sources to inform our understanding. We do not ask overly personal questions. We respect individual boundaries. For any question we do ask, we grant respectful understanding that they may choose not to answer.
We are not entitled to personal stories or private information about others. If people choose to share their stories with us, we treat them with confidentiality and respect.
If our students or colleagues need additional support, we help them find valid resources that will meet their needs. We offer both internal HFC support and external resources.
We accept individuals as who they are. We honor every person, no matter where they are in their personal journey of identity and authentic living. While we do not share or understand every experience others have, we stand with them, we support them, and we respect them.
At some point in our lives, most of us have experienced some form of exclusion, or maybe even hostility or discrimination. Some, sadly, have faced violence. These are daily struggles for some members of our society, especially if they are perceived as different from others. The struggles are often particularly acute for people who do not conform to others' expectations of who they should be or how they should dress or look.
We ask everyone at our College to work hard to create a better community -- to maintain an unwavering commitment to the values of respect and inclusion every day of the year.
The best thing you can do for all your colleagues and students is to welcome them, actively include them, and give them the gift of respect and kindness, regardless of their many expressions of identity.
To be the kind of community we want to be, we have to work individually and together. Our College is stronger because we embrace a culture that teaches about and celebrates real human differences. We are a richer community precisely because of our different races, genders, identities, beliefs, ethnicities, countries of origin, ages, abilities, and other characteristics.
If we demonstrate these values, we will make Henry Ford College a living and inspiring example of a welcoming, inclusive, thriving community.