Since 2016, the RTI Global Gender Center has hosted the LGBTQIA+ Rising working group (+Rising), aimed to support research and LGBTQIA+ inclusion at RTI International. Following the development of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) at RTI in 2017, +Rising continued to serve as a resource for RTI researchers, staff, and experts to lead projects with clients that positively impacted and engaged with LGBTQIA+ communities in the United States and abroad.

In August 2021, Marcel Foster took over as chairperson for the +Rising working group, and since then, +Rising has worked to develop best-practice guidelines for inclusively and ethically engaging LGBTQIA+ populations in RTI’s project work across RTI. Most recently, RTI hosted an event with Global Gender Center affiliate Dr. Laura Nyblade Dr. Laura Nyblade to facilitate a discussion with experts in working with LGBTQIA+ populations outside of the US.

RTI and the Global Gender Center strive to be even more inclusive in projects and in the workplace as part of RTI’s Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (EDIB) programs. These efforts align with recent guidance from the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Agency for International Development. The Global Gender Center’s +Rising provides critical resources to RTI’s 5,5 00+ staff members and aims to advance gender and LGBTQIA+ equity in its scope of work.