Episode 71
Trans inclusion and belonging in the TA space | with Joanne Lockwood
Two-thirds of trans workers now hide their identity at work—up from half five years ago. Joanne Lockwood shares why the backlash is real, and what TA leaders must do beyond performative gestures to build genuine belonging.
Episode Key Takeaways
Sixty-five percent of trans employees now conceal their gender identity at work, up from fifty percent in 2016. This reversal tracks directly with the rise of organized anti-trans rhetoric in mainstream media and politics, creating a climate where even well-intentioned employers struggle to signal safety.
Joanne argues that inclusion isn’t one-size-fits-all. Equity requires recognizing intersectionality and the specific lived experience of each individual—not blanket policies that treat all difference as identical. Understanding what challenges someone hasn’t had to face is as important as understanding what they have.
Application forms, email signatures, and health benefits are the real test. Asking for gender identity using wrong categories (listing ‘trans man’ as a gender rather than a descriptor), misgendering candidates on calls, or excluding transition-related care from benefits all signal exclusion before day one.
Pronouns in email signatures aren’t performative if they’re optional and understood as allyship, not compliance. When large organizations invest legal effort to approve pronoun policies globally, it signals genuine commitment—and gives trans employees permission to show up as themselves without explanation.
Culture must come before hiring. If internal representation of trans and gender-diverse staff is statistically absent (1–2% should be visible if your culture is safe), no external campaign will attract talent. Fix the environment first, then recruit into it.
Frequently
Asked
Questions
Why are more trans people hiding their identity at work now?
Media coverage of trans issues has become overwhelmingly negative and well-organized, creating daily psychological pressure. Combined with political rollbacks of protections in some regions, trans workers internalize this rhetoric and distrust employers unless they see explicit external signals of inclusion. Fear of discrimination now outweighs the relief of authenticity.
What's the difference between performative and genuine trans inclusion?
Performative: a single lunch-and-learn or adding pronouns to a job posting. Genuine: auditing application forms, health benefits, harassment policies, and internal representation; involving trans staff in design; paying consultants to test your processes; and treating misgendering as gross misconduct, not a mistake to overlook.
Should we require employees to share pronouns?
No. Make it optional. Requiring pronouns defeats the purpose—it becomes compliance theater. The power of pronoun-sharing is that it signals voluntary allyship and creates psychological safety for others to do the same. Mandate it, and you’ve lost the message.
How do I know if my organization is actually trans-inclusive?
Ask: Do your application forms use correct gender categories (male, female, nonbinary—not ‘trans man’ as a gender)? Do your health benefits cover transition-related care? Do you have senior trans employees, or only entry-level? Is there a documented response protocol for misgendering or harassment? If you can’t answer yes to most, your culture isn’t ready to recruit trans talent.
What's the business case for trans inclusion in TA?
Two-thirds of trans talent is currently invisible to the market due to fear. That’s millions of people working below capacity or leaving the workforce entirely. Organizations that build genuine inclusion gain access to an overlooked talent pool and retain employees who would otherwise leave. It’s competitive advantage disguised as ethics.