This week saw the launch of the “Unity” program by my employers.
Unity is the name given to the network of LGBTI colleagues and allies within the business. The vision for the Unity group as declared on the internal webpage is :-
“To foster a culture of inclusion and respect, to empower our people to bring their whole selves to work each day – regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.”
My role during the launch event was to act as “official” photographer, recording the event for the website and subsequent communications. I must confess, that as the MD delivered his very sincere speech, I felt a degree of pride. In the context of my personal journey it felt as though he was personally inviting me to “Bring my whole self to work.”
The challenge for me at the end of the evening was to balance this event against my experience earlier in the week. In conversation with a couple of visitors from a supplier based in Sydney I was stunned to hear them referring to their Transgender colleague as “IT” and bemoaning the fact they were forced to tolerate “IT” in the office.
The positive experience of so many colleagues joining together to celebrate the launch of a group embracing LGBTI colleagues was completely wiped out. The equally sincere voices of two people, unaware of my impending transition sharing with me their significant distaste for a Trans colleague has left me feeling wretched and worthless, a feeling that was reinforced with a glance in the mirror.
The world may well be full of people not worth talking to, but I can’t help listening to them and they may have a point.
I may have to rethink my position on “Brave.”
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