Earlier this year, I signed up for a 10-module training course with the LGBT Foundation, in order to become one of Transform Hospital Group’s LGBT Ambassadors. The training sessions covered a wide range of topics and issues that are faced by the LGBT community, and the course was followed by a (virtual) face-to-face assessment with the LGBT Foundation’s Training Coordinator, Danny O’Sullivan.
I hope that now I’ve completed the course, I can share what I’ve learned within my team and also to the wider business. Hopefully it means I’ll be more confident in discussing these issues, which can often be taboo, in and without of the workplace.
It’s currently Trans Awareness Week, and trans visibility was an important topic covered in the training sessions. Here are just some of the things we learned about trans visibility and the importance of using inclusive language:
- Avoid assuming someone’s gender identity, as it could make them feel overlooked or spark feelings of gender dysphoria
- Gender dysphoria is the feeling that your biological sex and or/gender assigned at birth does not match how you feel about your own gender identity
- Someone who is non-binary has a gender identity that is neither male nor female, and can be a mix of both
- ‘They/them’ are examples of gender-neutral pronouns
- If you don’t know someone’s pronouns, you should ask them politely
- If you make a mistake when referring to someone’s gender, you should acknowledge the mistake, apologise, and move on using their correct pronouns.
The knowledge our LGBT Champions have gained from the training programme will allow them to make a significant contribution to how we move forward as a business in embracing and celebrating diversity and inclusion. They’ll be implementing substantial change across all areas of the business, from how we phrase our marketing copy to the support we provide to the LGBTQ+ community.