| Hi all! Today is International Transgender Day of Visibility. It is also the day after Jamie Wallis has come out as the UK's first openly transgender MP. One of our partners, Aby Hawker, has written for us about how to make your D&I agenda inclusive of gender minorities and why it is more important than ever. Aby Hawker is the founder of TransMission PR, a communications consultancy specialising in trans awareness and inclusion. Over to Aby.... How to make your D&I agenda inclusive of gender minorities Today (March 31st) is International Transgender Day of Visibility. TDOV is a celebration of trans people, an opportunity to show solidarity and perhaps most importantly, recognise the community in all of its diverse glory. When it comes to awareness and inclusion of gender minorities, national days are a great place for companies to show their support, particularly when it comes to minorities that they might not feel so ‘familiar’ with. However, to be truly authentic in their inclusivity of trans and non-binary people, companies cannot limit their activity to waving a flag a couple of times a year. There’s no question that visible solidarity is greatly needed, especially in the workplace. A Stonewall survey revealed that:51% of trans people have hidden their identity at work for fear of discrimination.1 in 8 British trans people have been physically attacked at work.1 in 3 UK employers say they would be less likely to hire a trans person. So this TDOV, why not take a moment to consider creating a more meaningful programme of supportwhich demonstrates that as a company you are not selective when it comes to D&I - show that inclusive means inclusive of everyone. Here are five ways that you can make your D&I strategy inclusive of trans and non-binary people: Introduce a transitioning at work policy. Whether you have any trans employees or not, with 1% of the population identifying as gender diverse, chances are the introduction of such a policy will help someone in your network, if not now then in the future. Give your staff some basic training on trans awareness. You don’t have to know everything straight away but you do have to start somewhere and the sooner you do so, the better. Educating your workforce can be incredibly affirming for any employees who may be struggling with their gender, creating a much more receptive environment in which to come out. Pronoun use acts as a clear marker of inclusivity. Create a policy around the inclusion of pronouns in signatures, and enable people to easily opt in (please note this should not be mandatory). Review your existing communications, both internal and external, through the lense of someone who is gender diverse, are they inclusive? Be supportive all year round, not just when there is a recognised day. People are becoming increasingly savvy to the concept of rainbow washing, and companies who are simply paying lip-service to inclusivity will get called out. Make sure your inclusivity operates from the inside out - not the other way around. Finally, it is important to remember that trans people do not live in isolation. They have friends, family, loved ones, neighbours, you never know when you might come into contact with someone for whom your inclusive position - or lack thereof - might tick a box or sound an alarm bell. So take a proactive position or even better, a progressive one and really own this area of D&I. ~ Aby Hawker For more information about how THC and TransMission PR can support your business in becoming more inclusive of trans and non-binary people, please get in touch. This is also a good time to be completing our 'Gender Identity and Expression in the Workplace' e-learning module which you can access here. We will be releasing a podcast with Aby and THC's Sophie Cook (who co-wrote the e-learning module) later next month - click the link below to keep up to date with new episodes coming very soon! In other news, our disability consultant, Will Pike, has written a fab article about last week's BBC2 drama 'Then Barbara Met Alan' which is the story of disability activists Barbara Lisicki and Alan Holdsworth. Read it here. That's all for now! Team THC x |
International Transgender Day of Visibility 2022
