The Steps and Traditions of SLAA support diversity and inclusion.
Tradition 10 says, “SLAA has no opinion on outside issues, hence the SLAA name ought never be drawn into public controversy.”
This tradition is not meant to silence the expression of individual members’ viewpoints on, or the sharing of individual members’ experiences of, racism or discrimination, that may be uncomfortable for some members to hear. The tradition is directed to the program of SLAA, not to individual members. It is important that SLAA take no position on any issues other than recovery from sex and love addiction, so that the program is not drawn into public controversy or distracted from our recovery. However, members who share about their experience with racism or any other “ism,” and how it affects their sobriety are not violating this tradition.
Tradition 1 says, “Our common welfare should come first, personal recovery depends upon SLAA unity.”
Unity is not uniformity. There are many people from many different backgrounds and life experiences, and it is essential for everyone to be able to share freely about their recovery in meetings. Racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, antisemitism, anti-Arabism, and all “isms” affect our recovery.
Step 12 says, “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to sex and love addicts and to practice these principles in all areas of our lives.”
Tradition 5 says, “Each group has but one primary purpose — to carry its message to the sex and love addict who still suffers.”
To carry the message to every sex and love addict who still suffers requires us as a group to be welcoming to diverse populations, and to address and remedy outright expressions of racism or discrimination, and such unwelcoming behavior, within our group. To be welcoming to diversity also calls for us as a group to be respectful of how others identify themselves.
Step 4 says, “Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves…” and Step 10 says, “Continued to take personal inventory and when wrong promptly admitted it.”
Whatever fears or resentments we may have about other groups of people, who may have some different characteristics from us, including how they express these diverse experiences in meetings, is a great opportunity to reflect on our inventory.