LOTL Media - Queer Conversation

Diversity & Inclusion in Rotary — How a 118‑Year‑Old Institution Is Finally Changing

LOTL Season 6 Episode 9

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0:00 | 10:44

For more than a century, Rotary operated under rules that explicitly restricted membership to “adult male persons of good character and good business or professional reputation.” Women were only officially welcomed after a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the late 1980s — and while LGBTQ+ people were never formally excluded, many were made to feel unwelcome in practice.

In this conversation, two current Rotary members reflect on how long‑established institutions can evolve, and what genuine diversity and inclusion look like beyond slogans. 

They discuss leadership, cultural change, and the work required to make Rotary a place where women, LGBTQ+ members, and people from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds can truly belong.

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