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Being Transgender at Work and the Lack of Safety

Sign our petition to demand safety for transgender employees.

The biggest issue for transgender people in the workplace is safety, as revealed by a recent McKinsey study.1 This is a pressing issue that goes beyond pay inequality and lack of career advancement, both of which transgender people also face. Although President Biden passed an executive order to stop discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation, the law has not translated into change in the workplace.2

In 2020, Harvard Business Review said organizations tend to focus on sexual orientation and not gender identity.  There is a greater focus on the LGB than the TQ+.3 To put this in perspective, Gallup found that in the U.S., for Gen Z, 2.5% identifies as gay, 2.0% identifies as lesbian, and 2.1% identifies as transgender.4 A significant portion of the future and current transgender workforce will face safety-related issues at work if we do not act now.

A 2021 study by the Williams Institute at UCLA found 44% of transgender workers faced verbal harassment, and 22% faced sexual harassment.5 There are other safety issues faced by transgender employees as well. McKinsey found 50% of transgender applicants felt they could not reveal their full selves during the interview process and safety was the number one reason for avoiding certain industries. While on the job, things are not much better, the survey found.  Only 32% felt they could be fully out at work.1 There are significant barriers to advancement as well for the transgender workforce.

It is imperative that transgender employees feel safe and allowed to fully be themselves.  There are a few key areas that need to be addressed to help the transgender workforce:  1) Use a common and inclusive vocabulary at work, 2) Be intentional in the recruiting process, 3) Leaders must proactively create an environment of acceptance, 4) Provide the proper healthcare that is needed.  

The time to act is now.  According to the Human Rights Campaign, in 2020 and 2021, transgender people faced a record amount of violence.6

Sources:

  1. Baboolall, David, Greenberg, Sarah, and Obeid, Maurice (2021). Being Transgender at Work, McKinsey & Company.
  2. The White House Briefing Room (2021). Executive Order on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation.
  3. Sawyer, Katina et al. (2020). Creating a Trans-Inclusive Workplace, Harvard Business Review.
  4. Jones, Jeffrey (2022). LGBT Identification in U.S. Ticks Up to 7.1%, Gallup.
  5. Williams Institute at UCLA, 2021. LGBT People’s Experiences of Workplace Discrimination and Harassment.
  6. Human Rights Campaign Foundation (2021). Fatal Violence Against the Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Community in 2021.