Hi, Everyone! My name is Amanda Jones, and I am one of the program chairs for the LGBT Issues TIG. I have a background in clinical psychology that has proven invaluable in my work as an independent evaluator.
I am writing today about a nagging question I had when I first learned about the LGBT TIG at AEA: Who does the LGBT TIG exist to serve? Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, or asexual (LGBTQIA) evaluators, or evaluators interested in addressing LGBTQIA issues through evaluation?
After many informal conversations and email exchanges with other LGBT TIG members, I’ve concluded that this TIG is serving both purposes. It’s a place to connect with other evaluators with similar backgrounds, and a forum for exploring the best ways to address LGBTQIA issues in evaluation. In fact, both purposes are connected to the values AEA supports, including diversity of membership and culturally responsive evaluations.
So, what does this mean for other evaluators reading this post?
Hot Tip:
The leaders of the LGBT TIG would love to hear from you if:
- You identify as LGBTQIA. Many of us also identify that way, and are interested in getting to know – and maybe even working with — other evaluation professionals with similar identities.
- You want to increase the sensitivity of your evaluations to the LGBTQIA community. We won’t necessarily have ready-made answers for every issue, but many of us have thought a great deal about these issues in evaluation and would love to act as a sounding board.
We hope to hear from you soon! 
The American Evaluation Association is celebrating LGBT TIG Week with our colleagues in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Issues Topical Interest Group. The contributions all this week to aea365 come from our LGBT TIG members. Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this aea365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the aea365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an aea365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to aea365@eval.org. aea365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators.