Campaign & Communications Officer | Content Creator & Media Designer | Storytelling for Social Change
Basic ethics aside, entrepreneurs would be wise to know this: transphobia is horrible for your business. Whether it's neglect or malice, if you consistently disrespect someone's gender identity: 👉 If it's an employee, you obliterate their productivity. It's not possible to do a good job in a hostile environment. Trust me, I've been that employee. 👉 If it's a paying customer, you lose a paying customer. (And probably a few more, cause they will warn others against you.) Trust me, I've been that customer. Make reasonable accommodations. If not because it's the right thing to do - because it's the right business decision.
Did you know that around 70% of trans people report having been harassed or discriminated at work? And 29% of them felt like they were never supported or had someone speak up for their rights. Two weeks ago, we offered our first open Lunch Talk and talked about what to do in order to change these numbers. We were very happy to see so many familiar and unfamiliar faces - thank you all for showing up for #trans rights! Our consultant Luka Özyürek talked about some of the most common issues trans, nonbinary and intersex people face at work and how colleagues can support them and become better allies. 🚨They touched on things such as having to use the wrong names on official documents, the challenges of gendered spaces (e.g. bathrooms), transphobic micro-aggressions and harassment. Luka explained what to do to be an ally: Learning about trans issues and listening to trans voices, asking for their needs, vocally challenging transphobia, reducing access barriers such as binary options in forms or dress codes, and much more. 🎀 It was great to see so much interest in this topic, and we hope to continue this series of talks about diversity issues that we’re passionate about. If you attended the talk, what was your biggest take-away?
