Tips for being a trans ally

As this week is Trans Awareness Week we wanted to share some top tips that we can all easily follow in order to be the best ally we can to members of the trans community - these are from GLAAD and you can read the full article here.

In business, one of the foundation stones of showing our allyship is to have a robust equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) policy which lays down your commitment to equality for all and how all of your team can expect to be treated during their employment with you.

You can't tell if someone is transgender just by looking.
Transgender people don't look any certain way or come from any one background. Many transgender people do not appear "visibly trans," meaning they are not perceived to be transgender by others. It is not possible to look around a room and "see" if there are any transgender people. (It would be like a person looking around the room to "see" if there are any gay people.) You should assume that there may be transgender people at any gathering or in any space.

Don't make assumptions about a transgender person's sexual orientation.
Gender identity is different than sexual orientation. Sexual orientation is about who we're attracted to. Gender identity is about our own personal sense of being a man or a woman, or neither of those binary genders. Transgender people can be gay, lesbian, bisexual, straight, or any other sexual orientation.

If you don't know what pronouns to use, listen first.
If you're unsure which pronoun a person uses, listen first to the pronouns other people use when referring to them. Someone who knows the person well will probably use the correct pronoun. If you must ask which pronoun the person uses, start with your own. For example, "Hi, I'm Alex and I use the pronouns he and him. What about you?" Then use that person's pronoun and encourage others to do so. If you accidently use the wrong pronoun, apologize quickly and sincerely, correct your mistake, then move on. The bigger deal you make out of the situation, the more uncomfortable it is for everyone.