It seems like a subtle thing on the surface, but it’s not.

Indeed, it’s not. So many large US corps have been instantly shifting their so-called support like good little soldiers…

The kicker? I need this job.

Unless one is Musk or one of his close friends, don’t we all need money?

It’s up to you to decide what to do. I mean, I know what I would do but I also know I’m not in your shoes and that would not be fair for me to push you one way or the other.

What I can say is that you have all my sympathy. That new US president has created some real mess. I imagine most US citizens won’t be aware of that but that US president also reached out to those foreign non-US owned private corps (like, here in France) that are doing business with the US gov telling them they should stop their local, non-US inclusive policy if they wanted to keep doing business with the US gov. That’s the new version of the ‘Land of the free as long as you agree with the boss’, I suppose?

Take the job, and as part of doing a good job, you should point out, ONE TIME ONLY, that they’re using the incorrect word.

Back this up with an “appeal to authority” citing a dictionary definition and a style guide from an expert on anti-harassment training.

If they don’t accept your correction, drop it.

That’s doing your job to the best of your ability while not hurting your own livelihood.

you need the job. take it, and do it well like the client wants. invest time in developing options so that you won’t have to take this job again.

your personal survival comes first

Take the job if you need it. You’re not going to change their minds.

Clear your conscience by doing some pro bono work for a gender issues non-profit or small company that is LGBTQ+ friendly/owned—especially if they are a competitor to this company.

Gradually, ween yourself off this company.

Choose your battles smartly, that’s the only way we’ll win.

So I used to do a lot of freelance, and encountered similar situations a few times.

The most blatant example that comes to mind was a charity run. I had the client reach out for AV gear and crew for a charity run. They needed some projectors and a small stage (and all of the AV gear+crew to go with the stage) for a charity event; They were going to be at a college campus, with joggers making laps on a 1/2 mile loop. For every lap, sponsors would donate to charity.

The projectors and stage were to give the MC a place to be, and to keep the audience entertained while the joggers ran. They’d have a band playing, and cap the event off with a movie screening. Sounds fun. I quoted the job like any other gig. The perceptive reader may have noticed that I haven’t mentioned what kind of charity they were raising funds for. That’s because I didn’t think to ask ahead of time. I got there, and discovered it was a pro-life fundraiser. Fucking yikes.

But I still did the job. I needed the money, and didn’t want to burn future bridges with other companies that were involved. I simply made a mental note to ask more questions the next time a charity event came across my desk. But the big takeaway is that even if I didn’t do it, someone else inevitably would have. The event still would have happened, and the charity money still would have been raised. At least with me doing it, I was able to avoid adding another enthusiastic voice (whoever would have taken my spot) to the echo chamber. Even if I had climbed up on stage to interrupt the event, it wouldn’t have changed any minds. Afterwards, I donated what I could afford to Planned Parenthood and moved on.

if this is about your survival, then survive.

surviving doesn’t mean you care any less; you’re taking care of yourself and hopefully in the future you’ll be in a better position to speak up for those rights like you obviously want to in the future.

Take the job. Do some activism in your spare time.