I had the opportunity to sit in
on a group of marketing executives this morning from surrounding retirement
communities in Lancaster County. It was a great experience and I was able to
leave with great perspective.
The recent legislation that
permits same sex marriage in the state of Pennsylvania seemed to come out of
nowhere. I was not aware that such a large policy change would happen so soon.
Many businesses have to decide
new procedures when it comes to allowing same sex couples as residents. Being
an intern in the retirement community world, there is so much talk about what
is trending and what is not.
It is important to understand
today’s culture and what has changed as you are making these decisions. The
fact that the state has mandated that same sex marriage is allowed, it is
crunch time for many marketing professionals.
The decision to “allow” same sex couples
or even unmarried couples in general into the communities is an interesting
conflict. In my mind, there is no conflict because God calls us to love
everyone and “rejecting” someone because of their specific beliefs and
lifestyles is unethical to me.
However, this is clearly not the
case with most communities. Creating new policies is a hassle but then again, not
dealing with the conflict is not smart either.
In my eyes there are two options:
take a stand and do not allow same sex couples at all, or decide to change
policies and allow it. Being wishy-washy with this topic is not an option.
Public relations in a faith-based
community are centered on honesty, loyalty, ethical decision making. Putting a
policy like this on the back burner is not doing anyone any favors.
Conclusively, it is a beneficial
strategy to be open and inviting of all types of prospective residents as a retirement
community. The laws will come and go but being open to change is something that
people appreciate.
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