Not straight, not hired
At the International Transgender Day of Visibility, participants cheered recent gains in LGBTI rights, while calling on employers to eradicate discrimination
How difficult is it to seek a job these days? If you’re transgender, the mundane job hunt and being in a workplace can be an excruciating experience. Employment, as agreed by many, is one area in which transgender people are actively discriminated against.
The topic of gender-based discrimination within the labour market and workplace was discussed at the International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) event, held last Saturday at Museum Siam. It was an intimate affair that featured an art exhibition, talks, night-time performances and a mini-job fair for members of the local LGBTI and non-binary community and allies. Informative and entertaining, the TDOV was a good time for attendees while also raising awareness on pressing issues that still plague transgender people in most parts of the world.
On the day, a representative from the World Bank took to the stage to present wistful statistics on how LGBTI people are faring in economic inclusion in Thailand. Its survey asked respondents about their awareness on anti-discrimination laws, experience within the labour market, accessing governmental services and more. The figures, based on responses from over 2,300 LGBTI people in the country, show that the T of the LGBTI acronym is the group that takes the hardest hit when it comes to discrimination within the workplace.
The report shows that 77% of transgender people have had their job applications denied on the basis of their gender identity, in comparison to 49% for gay men and 62.5% for lesbians. For those who eventually get the job, 40% of transgender respondents say they experience harassment at work while 60% say they face discrimination within their own workplace.
“Discrimination and exclusion faced by LGBTI people is very much rooted in gender,” said Dr Clifton Cortez, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (Sogi) Global Adviser of the World Bank, who presented the statistics. “What people are responding to in a negative way is their inability to accept that any of us can act, behave, identify outside of gender norms.”
Those who face the greatest discrimination are those who are perceived as transgressing what society deems as normal, Cortez said.
It’s also a sad revelation when the study shows that half of the LGBTI respondents say that they are not aware that there is a law to protect them from discrimination and exclusion in the country. The Gender Equality Act may have been enacted in 2015. Still, to date, some of the people it was designed to protect remain unaware of its existence.
Some of the transgender people who attended the event shared that they mostly got a bad look when recruiters saw that their appearance didn’t match their title on the documents. Tired of an uptight, conservative system that excludes non-conformers, many decide to head into freelance or entrepreneurial work instead so they won’t have to deal with uniforms and a company policy that may limit or hinder their gender expression.
“I’ve never thought of going into the public service sector or big, uptight companies — ones that would require you to look a certain image of credibility and cisgender. I’ve always denied that and I’ve usually looked for flexible jobs that I can choose for myself how to dress up for it,” said Sumon, a transgender man and gender advocate, who often engages in graphic design and photography-related work on a freelance basis.
It is very limiting, he added. “I grew up in a time when people can attack someone using the person’s gender identity.” And fear of discrimination then renders people to being unambitious souls, so they won’t draw attention to themselves or their gender identity could be exposed.
But at least the situation seems to be getting better, said Sumon who feels that more available information and exposure today are softening people’s demeanour to being more accepting towards gender diversity.
“We definitely have more allies now compared to the past,” he said. However, this also depends on the context and setting of the community each person lives in. Many who insisted on remaining unaccepting of LGBTI then persist in that nature, but others who are more open-minded are growing more accepting each day. The change is gradual, but it’s there.
As f or the employers themselves, many have updated their policies to be more inclusive and considerate of LGBTI people. Among those who participated in the TDOV’s mini-job fair at Museum Siam was insurance company Krungthai Axa. There are several positions open within the company, and they welcome anybody regardless of gender to apply. The benefits the company offers to its employees include transgender leave and health insurance for employee’s partner.
Krungthai Axa’s human resource staff said that the company has been accepting of LGBTI employees for a long time, although they’ve only put it in the policy officially within the past few years. The
We definitely have more allies now compared to the past
company aims to provide equality in employment for all and to willingly hire LGBTI — and also disabled people — so long as they are qualified for the roles.
“We don’t see diversity as anything strange. It’s business as usual for us,” said the insurance company’s human resource officer.