. Chapter 14 Sexual and gender identity at work M P Ann Stewart and Kristopher Coonan Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Strachan, French and Burgess, Managing Diversity 14-1

. Terminology The acronym LGBT/I (also BGLT/I, BGLTQ/I) is commonly used for lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and intersex people. It can be written in any order. We use the umbrella term ‘transgender' in deference to popular accepted usage to refer to all non-intersex gender-diverse people, but acknowledge that many people prefer other terms, such as transexual or intergender. Many people following sex/gender transition will simply identify as men or women. Intersex people should not be conflated with the transgender community. It should be noted, however, that a number of transgender people may, on medical investigation, be found to be biologically intersex. Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Strachan, French and Burgess, Managing Diversity 14-2

. Workplace culture The workplace is not a neutral environment – it reflects the dominant culture (white, male, heterosexual & bi-gendered). Heterosexuality as the ‘norm’ permeates every aspect of social existence, including the workplace. We coin the term ‘heterogemony’ to capture the pervasive power of heterosexual privilege, or ‘heteronormativity’. Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Strachan, French and Burgess, Managing Diversity 14-3

. Paucity of research Over the past few decades, researchers have increasingly analysed the implications for organisational management of a diverse staff profile. Issues related to sexuality, gender identity and gender expression though, have not received the same attention as gender, race, ethnicity or disability. Discrimination against same-sex attracted and gender-diverse people may constitute the ‘last acceptable prejudice’, judging by the relative lack of research and organisational attention. Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Strachan, French and Burgess, Managing Diversity 14-4

. Workplace experience for LGBT The small amount of research on the workplace experience of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people (LGBT) suggests these groups often feel excluded from the mainstream, alienated from their colleagues and may experience active discrimination and harassment, including violence, in workplaces hostile to their presence. Up to 1 in 6 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people experience instances of discrimination and harassment or violence. The reliability of this figure may be compromised by the fact that many workers choose not to share these aspects of their identities with colleagues. Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Strachan, French and Burgess, Managing Diversity 14-5

. Similar but distinct experiences The experiences of those who identify as transgender are different in a multitude of ways from those who identify as same-sex attracted (SSA). The challenges facing SSA people in the workplace mostly have to do with securing the same rights and acceptance as their heterosexual colleagues. There are additional challenges facing transgender (or gender-diverse) workers and their employers, requiring careful consideration of a number of issues that are theoretically complex, but in terms of workplace adjustment, quite practical and basic. Because there is so little public understanding of sex/gender diversity, extra educational efforts will often be required. Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Strachan, French and Burgess, Managing Diversity 14-6

. The legal context The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Australia is a signatory, details important principles fundamental to the basic human rights of SSA and gender-diverse people, including the right to non- discrimination (articles 2(1) and 26) and the right to recognition before the law (article 16). Since 2003 all states and territories in Australia have anti- discrimination laws to protect the rights of people identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, although only Queensland, New South Wales and the ACT have anti-vilification provisions covering sexuality and gender identity. In 2008 the Federal Labor Government introduced legislation to amend 60 federal laws relating to financial matters to remove legal discrimination against same-sex couples and their children. Some discriminatory laws still remain on the books. Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Strachan, French and Burgess, Managing Diversity 14-7

. Effective diversity leaders ensure a safe workplace for all their staff A productive and harmonious workplace is one where all workers are accepted for who they are, especially those from minority groups. This includes those who belong to a minority because they are same-sex attracted or gender-diverse. Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Strachan, French and Burgess, Managing Diversity 14-8

. Effective diversity leaders are: well informed empathetic proactive visible; and they lead by example reflect on and challenge heterogemony in the workplace – the ‘taken for granted’ practices that marginalise same-sex attracted and gender- diverse staff. Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Strachan, French and Burgess, Managing Diversity 14-9