Honoring and Respecting Your Transgender Employees and Co-Workers
A young diverse group celebrating and honoring LGTBQIA teammates in the workplace.
November 13th - 19th marks the annual Transgender Awareness Week in which we mindfully dedicate space, time, and new practices to increase our understanding of the trans community. The week culminates with final and emphasized recognition of Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20th - a day to mourn members of the trans community who have been lost to violence or suicide. At the time of this article, the Human Rights Campaign has shared that 45 transgender people have been murdered in 2021 alone - with recognition of these being only the reported cases.
For many transgender people, the workplace can feel especially tense and risky. As we navigate year long awareness, take a moment to reflect on your workplace and discover ways to create a more welcoming, inclusive, and safe work experience for your transgender employees and co-workers.
Daelynn’s Personal Take on Transness in the Workplace
One of the most unexpected aspects of my own transition experience was the degree to which people forgot everything else about me. I went from being a complex, intersectional human being to, first and foremost, a transgender person. Suddenly, my transness was the single most interesting thing about me. People no longer wanted to talk about my motorcycling, my love of classic sci-fi, or my collection of Viking art glass. They only wanted to talk about my transness. While I appreciated that people intended to show acceptance of me, the end result was that I felt more ‘othered’ than ever.
If you want to show your transgender employees and co-workers that you accept them, remember that their transness is only one small part of who they are. Ask about other parts of their life, their hobbies, family, friends, and personal interests. Remember that someone’s gender is a personal attribute and most cis-gendered folks (a gender identity that aligns with the sex that a doctor assigned them at birth) don’t go around asking each other about their sex organs, their sexuality, or their bodies. Remind others that trans folks, like all people, are intersectional and that their transness shouldn’t be the sole focus of their identity.
Transgender Employees in the Workplace
In many cases, your trans colleague will be the only transgender person in your office. They might even be the only trans person that you are aware of knowing. It’s likely that there are transgender people in your life whose transition has left no obvious visible cues to indicate their transness. Other times, there may be people who have not yet chosen to transition (or have specifically chosen not to). Transgender people who do not transition are still transgender.
Don’t make any assumptions. You might think they want to be involved in every ‘diversity conversation’ in the office, but they may not be interested. If you have a question about transness, try an educated Google search before asking your co-worker about trans workplace issues. Trans people do not owe you the emotional labor of educating you about transness. Never assume that there are no transgender people in the room. Understand that transness is not always visible. Adopting this mindset will help you promote inclusiveness and avoid any tendencies to treat trans individuals as outsiders.
You may find that you have an intense curiosity about your transgender employees and co-workers. You might want to ask them questions about it. But before you do, take a moment to consider whether or not you would appreciate someone asking you the same questions. Should someone ask about your medical or surgical history? About the shape and configuration of your genitals? About what your sex life is like?
If you wouldn’t feel comfortable answering these or similar questions about yourself, then don’t ask your co-worker. The only appropriate questions are ones like those you’d also ask your cisgender coworkers, as trans people are equally deserving of respect, consideration, and the right to privacy and safety. And if someone has not specifically told you they are transgender, then don’t ask them about it!
Transgender employees want the same things your cisgender ones do: to be valued and accepted for their unique intersection of life experiences. Twenty years ago, it was risky for a man to put a picture of his boyfriend on his desk. Today, it’s much safer for the same man to share pictures of his husband and family. We can celebrate the advancements of the gay and lesbian workplace experience while acknowledging that for trans folks, that level of safety remains elusive. How can you do better for them?
How can you do better for trans employees?
The Rise Journey is here to help organizations like yours expand their knowledge and understanding on how to respectfully engage and build an inclusive and safe environment for the trans community.
Connect with our team to gain valuable insights and effective strategies to promote everyday Transgender Awareness in the workplace.
