Today, 31 March, is International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDoV); a day dedicated to recognising the resilience and accomplishments of the transgender community.
Transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming are one of the most excluded groups in society. It is unfortunately very common for trans people to face discrimination, isolation, and abuse both in public and at work. Research by Total Jobs (2021) found:
- A large portion (40%) of trans workers fear that co-workers harbour anti-trans opinions, and 7% fear they might be outed by colleagues.
- A third (32%) of trans people said they’ve experienced discrimination or abuse at work in the last five years.
- 43% of trans employees specifically said they’ve left a job because the environment was unwelcoming – up from 36% in 2016
We proudly raise the Trans flag in solidarity with Transgender people on the day of visibility.
As a university we are continually working to become more inclusive and support transgender and non-binary visibility and inclusion, with work underway this year to re-write our Gender Identity policy and guidance and creation of more gender neutral facilities on campus.
Support & Resources
In society, there is still a long way to go before trans people are consistently included and welcomed in the workplace. This guidance is designed to help colleagues with the information you need to get a foundation in place to support trans staff.
Additionally, we have the following resources available:
What does it mean to be transgender? Concepts and Definitions
Toolkits:
Internal Support
- PULSE LBGT+ Staff Network
- Report and Support, a tool for reporting any form of bullying, harassment, discrimination or abuse.
- Our Harassment Contacts are here to provide support to staff and students if they are being bullied or harassed.
- Health and Wellbeing.
- Employee Assistance Programme, a free service available to all staff.
There is also an extensive list of external support found on this article.
