What does it really mean to accommodate others, not as a service or an act of compliance, but as a practice of respect and human dignity?

In this video, I reflect on a recent CBC article about Quebec’s move to ban gender-inclusive language in government communications, and why such policies reveal more about power and fear than about efficiency.

From the way we spell “colour” or “honour” to how we acknowledge someone’s pronouns, the words we choose express our values. Leadership, too, is expressed in language; in how we make space for others to be themselves. Real leaders don’t dictate; they listen, adapt, and embody the humility to let others feel seen and respected.

“When you ban accommodation, people push back — because they see you don’t care.”

For queer people, this issue isn’t abstract — it’s deeply personal.

We know what it means to be excluded, to have our language, pronouns, or very identities dismissed as inconvenient.

When governments ban inclusive language, they’re not just limiting grammar; they’re signalling whose humanity is worth recognizing. Queer leadership understands this viscerally because we’ve had to cultivate self-awareness, strength, and self-acceptance in the face of exclusion. That’s why real leadership means choosing compassion and accommodation, not control.

“Real, human-hearted leadership cares — and queer leaders often understand that care through lived experience.”

A Question of Integrity

Where are you not being accommodating as a leader and how might that be affecting the people who look to you for example, guidance, and recognition?

Let me know in the comments, or send me a message in my subscriber-only chat.

Thanks for reading The Queer Integrity Dispatch! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit darrenstehle.substack.com