More than a campaign: This Pride Month, support better outcomes through LGBTQIA+ inclusion

By Melitta Hari, CCXP

One of the 2025 initiatives of the DEI Committee is to increase awareness of the business growth potential surrounding serving different diverse communities during and beyond celebrations and observances that might be unfamiliar but are important to our fellow members, colleagues, and customers. In this post, we are spotlighting business growth opportunities through identifying and removing LGBTQIA+ friction points.

The LGBTQIA+ community is estimated at 388 million individuals worldwide, with spending power of approximately $4.7 trillion USD per year.

LGBTQIA+ inclusion in customer experience isn’t always straightforward. It’s nuanced, personal, and full of interactions that can either help or hinder your brand’s success. LGBTQIA+ customers are paying attention, not just to what brands say, but to how they show up. In fact, 63% say they would switch to a competitor if they felt disrespected or excluded.

Building trust, loyalty, and long-term value with the LGBTQIA+ community requires intentional awareness and design that recognizes the lived realities of this community. These conversations may feel unfamiliar or sensitive: but they matter. And they belong in our CX work. Consider these challenges that LGBTQIA+ customers may face:

·        Inflexible identity processes such as forms that don’t include relevant response options. In 2023, 58% of trans and non-binary people reported this experience. In 2024, 60% of non-binary consumers said they regularly face forms they can’t complete accurately.

·        Inconsistency and microaggressions at the frontline.  According to research, 21% of LGBTQIA+ travellers reported discomfort at check-in. And 42% of trans individuals avoid gyms or salons, not because they don’t want to go, but because they’re not sure if it will feel safe.

·        Exclusion of alternate family structures from policies and journeys. In one healthcare example, a lesbian mother was told she couldn’t proceed without naming a “biological father.”

Using the CXPA framework to support LGBTQIA+ inclusion

Let’s revisit the CXPA framework not as a checklist, but as a lens. Each of the five pillars offers ways to reduce friction, signal belonging, and create better customer experiences that drive business growth.

1. Customer Experience strategy

·        Align CX goals with brand values and business strategies, identifying growth opportunities presented by serving the differentiated needs of the LGBTQIA+ community

·        Build a CX strategy that includes a welcoming and inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ individuals

·        Partner with internal employee resource groups or LGBTQIA+ groups to test policies 

2. Customer insights & understanding

·        Collect data insights about current and potential customers from the LGBTQIA+ community.

·        Map journeys with LGBTQIA+ customers, especially in high-stakes services

•       Include pronouns, gender identity, and chosen names in feedback programs

2. Metrics, measurement & ROI

·        Segment customer sales data and CX metrics for identity-based insights

·        Add inclusion-related indicators to track perceptions of belonging (e.g., “Did you feel respected?”)

·        Track and reduce LGBTQIA+ friction points (e.g., name/pronoun mismatch cases)

4. Design, implementation & innovation

·        Prototype with LGBTQIA+ personas to ensure differentiated needs are considered

·        Train staff on desired LGBTQIA+ service for your business (e.g., serving non-traditional families in hospitals; trans customer use of dressing rooms)

·        Offer gender-neutral titles and open fields in digital forms

5. Culture & accountability

·        Train frontline and support teams, include recovery practices

·        Recognize inclusive service behaviour

·        Build clear accountability into CX leadership

When we do better, everyone benefits

This Pride Month, let’s commit to more than campaigns. Let’s design with love, rigor, and courage. Let’s rise to that standard and benefit together.

As diversity remains a CXPA Core Value, the Diversity Advancement Committee is dedicated to fostering a culture of inclusivity and belonging, where everyone feels welcomed. You may find more resources at cxpaglobal.org/diversity. For more tips, download our free e-book, Integrating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Into A CX Ecosystem.

Sources for further exploration:

·        LGBT Market Statistics (LGBT Capital)

·        Beyond the Rainbow: Elevating LGBTQ+ Customer and Employee Experiences (Women in CX article)

·        Values in hospitality for rainbow people (World Rainbow Hotels article)

·        Association of National Advertisers LGBTQ+ Marketing Inclusion Survey results, 2024

·        GLAAD research on Pride

·        Queer Eye, Season 2 Episode 5 „Sky’s the limit” on trans experience (Netflix)

·        Getting started with trans inclusive design: tools and resources (Sarah L. Fossheim article)

·        Gender-inclusive design is the only way (UX collective article)