Canadian HR Reporter

www.hrreporter.com 11 A lot of employers also lack awareness when it comes to legal considerations, such as the Human Rights Act, she says. "They often don't know that gender identity, gender expression, that's covered under these protective grounds for folks in the workplace… This is absolutely shocking to me." Some employers might also take a linear approach to the trans community and not understand other barriers, says Persad, citing racism as an example. "We're not just trans people; we have so many multi-layered identities and all these different aspects to life… And you might be addressing the trans issues, but you also need to look at people from an intersectional lens," she says. Another problem? Training may not be offered to everyone, such as management, and there's often little followup. Best practices The training should be mandatory for all staff, new and old, especially when it comes to human rights, says Persad. "Everybody who's there should be introduced to the code and understand the grounds of protection and how it protects people, the four specific categories that usually pertain to trans people: sex, gender, gender identity and sexual orientation." "For those who are non-binary, that feels like an afterthought… Trans is actually not a gender identity, it's more of a status or a history qualifier," he says. "There's a handful of [fixes] that organizations grab because they want to address these issues but… there's a lot of nuance around gender data." As part of that excitement, some employers may decide to celebrate somebody who is transitioning — without their consent, says Jade Pichette, manager of programs at Pride at Work Canada in Toronto. "I've also seen that happen with a public profile, where a trans person was profiled by their organization publicly on their social media account without their consent, which resulted in them becoming the target of quite a number of hate attacks." Another challenge? Tokenism. Often, one trans person is expected to have all the answers at a workplace, says Yasmeen Persad, education and training facilitator at the 519 in Toronto, an organization dedicated to advocacy for the inclusion of LGBTQ communities. "Being the one token trans person in that work environment can be really exhausting and draining when everything that comes up has to be pointed to you." One framework to consider for trans inclusion uses five guiding principles: privacy, fairness, choice, flexibility and safety, says Scott, which can be applied, for example, when it comes to issues such as washroom design or "unintentionally exclusionary forms and surveys that don't capture the full spectrum of gendered experiences." Another best practice? Recognize that every transition is going to be different and build that flexibility into your policy, says Moshiri. "We have successfully supported two transitions at BLG since we rolled out our policy and neither have been the same, so you can create a framework but know that you will need to be directed by the person undergoing the transition." It's also important to emphasize the importance of not using gender language, she says, citing the example of starting a meeting by saying, "Good morning, everyone" instead of "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen." BLG has also sent around communi- cations encouraging staff to add their pronouns to their signature box, says Moshiri. "Being addressed with the proper pronouns that are consistent with one's identity are significant for our colleagues who identify as gender fluid, non-binary or trans, [and] being the only ones who identify their pronouns can be isolating. So, having others identify their pronouns alongside you can be both supportive and empowering. And the more individuals who identify at their pronouns, the more it becomes part of our norm." But the work is not over, she says. "It's a long journey… After the initial rollout, you can't just sort of check it off and say, 'OK, done; trans policies done' and then never think about it. There needs to be an ongoing mindfulness." CHRR "Being the one token trans person can be really exhausting when everything that comes up has to be pointed to you." Yasmeen Persad, the 519

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