Prefer Not to Say

These days, it is very common to see the option ‘Prefer not to say, while filling your gender in online forms, along with the common ‘Male’ and ‘Female’. It alludes to a separate entity, one which does not wish to make itself known. But what if they wish to make themselves known? Rarely do they get the option to do that.

Coming to terms with one’s gender orientation is a long process on a journey of finding and accepting themselves. The path to this self-awareness is riddled with confusion, anxiety, and having to unlearn the gender binary. It involves breaking out of the shackles of gender conformity and finally feeling their most authentic self.

While people coming out as gender non-conforming is not new, more and more youth are coming out and being open about their gender orientation. But what does this mean for organizations and workplaces?

Transgender and gender non-conforming employees are most likely to be discriminated against in the workplace, and many have reported being verbally abused and physically attacked. Most trans people hide their identity in the workplace to protect themselves from harassment and fear of discrimination. In the case of Rajatarangini, she ended up getting fired from her job as a manager in a 3-star hotel after she came out as transgender.

According to a survey conducted by Blind, “At least half of LGBTQ-identifying employees at Facebook, Oracle, LinkedIn, and Netflix all said they had witnessed homophobic harassment in the workplace. Silicon Valley staples including Uber, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon all saw more than a quarter of its queer employees say they had seen homophobia on display in their offices.”

According to Stonewall’s 2020 Workplace report, a third of trans people in the UK had been the target of negative comments or conduct from their colleagues as a result of their gender identity. One in five wouldn’t report transphobic bullying in the workplace. Only 28% of the LGBT staff surveyed noted that senior management had demonstrated a visible commitment to trans equality. Fewer than half said there were adequate workplace equality policies to protect trans people in the workplace. The research also found that “more than one in six trans individuals were not addressed with their correct name or pronoun at work” and their colleagues excluded “a third of trans employees for being LGBT”. As a result, “one in four trans people were not open at work about being trans”, and the figure rose to 37% for non-binary individuals.

Even today, working towards gender inclusivity in the workplace is limited to bringing women into the workforce in male-dominated careers. However, companies now realize that they cannot ignore the shift in gender norms for much longer. While many companies don a rainbow version of their logos during pride month, the performative activism isn’t enough for their LGBTQ+ employees.

We have been talking about our issues for years, and we will probably continue to talk about them until we feel heard.

So, maybe it’s not that we’d prefer not to say. Perhaps it’s you who’d prefer not to listen.

Penned by : Garima Mazumdar