Getting the Language Right – The Transgender Conversation

By: Jennifer London, Leader, Member Experience, Diversity Best Practices

Transgender, or trans, does not mean just one thing but rather is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity or expression is different from those typically associated with the sex assigned to them at birth (e.g., the sex listed on their birth certificate).  As we have seen recently during Katie Couric’s interview with Laverne Cox and Carmen Carrera and Piers Morgan’s interview with Janet Mock, the media is still developing the lexicon to talk with and about transgender people, often leaving trans people out of the conversation completely. Because of this, Diversity Best Practices finds it important to explain the language and tools diversity and inclusion professionals should use when talking with and about transgender people in the workplace.  We leveraged the insights of Stephanie Battaglino, a transgender activist and advocate for transgender rights in and out of the workplace, who was the first person to come out as trans at her company in 2005…Read Full Article