Work ‘Inclusion week’

[Dyrne]

Sigh, just a rant really.

Got an email at work inviting us to sign up for some Workshops that are running as part of “Inclusion Week”.

2 separate workshops all about, you guessed it, how we need to make space and be more accepting of Trans and Non-binary people.

Only 1 about BAME employees.

Nothing at all about Disability or LGB

And women, of course, don’t get a look in.

I mean, if there was 1 about Trans people amongst a well-rounded programme i’d have gritted my teeth and just ignored it, but to have two on Trans inclusion and fuck all on disability or LGB is just so ridiculous! Just a tick in box exercise for Woke points and they can’t even be bothered to get Occ health to put a slide show together about accessible toilets. I despair...

Honestly, I would ask the question about why that's the case. There are obviously more women, and very likely more disabled and LGB people in your organisation than trans. Doesn't sound very inclusive to me but rather discriminatory.

I second that, you should raise this, it's the only way anyone will even think twice.

Do you feel able to challenge it?

Is it safe for you to share your despair? For instance by sending an email to HR welcoming the news about inclusion week, but expressing your surprise/disappointment that the protected characteristics of sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity and religion are not covered at all. Inclusion projects are intended to address barriers employees face in the workplace. While identifying as trans may well present a barrier for the rare employee who does, the barriers faced by the others are no less of a problem.

Or you could send a very mild thank you email saying you look forward to seeing the rest of the inclusion week programme with the events focusing on disability, sexual orientation, age, pregnancy and maternity, religion and sex. (Or however your workplace addresses these barriers.)

I’m not sure i’m Brave enough I tied myself in absolute knots last year suggesting that, maybe, perhaps, the Women’s Group could stay focused on supporting women in the workplace rather than renaming ourselves the ‘Equality Group’ and supporting everyone because no one fucking asks the BAME group to focus on White people or the Disability Group to focus on Abled people because that would be fucking insane

I may venture a suggestion that, perhaps we could expand the Workshop offering?

I’m such a coward

Yes, definitely don’t just go along with this.

Organisations representing other minority groups must be wondering what on earth they have to do to get the recognition afforded to trans groups.

Not a coward. We do what we can when and where we can. Sometimes work is not that place.

I think suggesting to be truly inclusive of all colleagues facing barriers, such as [insert examples relevant to your workplace], may be harmless enough?

However, this may mean having to show willing by signing up to the workshops on offer right now.

'perhaps, the Women’s Group could stay focused on supporting women in the workplace rather than renaming ourselves the ‘Equality Group’ and supporting everyone'

Mine did this as well! Or at least changed from women's network to all genders and the first meeting it was raised that men are hard done by these days and what about them...

(40%+ pay gap and few female leaders)

Agree with pp the thing is if you want x then it will be you can do it we will support you.

The weird thing is how all the womens stuff and the LGB stuff is just only about the t.

How did they do that?

I work in City of London went to an lgbt+ thing for my industry with gay workmate. Sight of room full of earnest gay men (and some lesbians who are still way less visible in my industry) all focusing on the t, with very little about the g or b, was odd.

It's like women and gay people in the main have said ok forget about us, we'll step back. And they seem to mean it. It's just, I don't get it. I mean even with being gc some time about t stuff is expected, but it's the majority.

As with you op, 3 workshops. 1 BAME 2 trans. That's not even handed even if you are on board with the whole thing.

The weird thing is how all the womens stuff and the LGB stuff is just only about the t.How did they do that?

They automatically see it as the next big 'liberation' struggle - without actually realising the misogynistic and homophobic nature of much of it.

One day people will wake up.

But it is women and gay people who are centering it in their stuff.

When their stuff is not done.

Your standard able bodied white man doesn't even have this on the radar. The ones who actually (usually unconsciously) propagate the sexism and misogyny. It's bizarre.

Definitely raise this.

The lesbians I know at work don't want a special treatment.

Im thinking of my colleagues and for example and things like dyslexia and asd are things to be actively inclusive about. Eg a few colleagues need special coloured screens to work effectively. Find certain fonts and text sizes impossible to read. And yet are v v clever and capable at their job. It's taken 10 years for one to be bold and 'out' about it, and only did so when another new colleague was very open and assertively pointed out what they need.

It has happened because Stonewall have made it the focus of their attention and money and have managed to make companies scared not to toe the line.

How do other organisations for those with protected characteristics gain the same recognition that the T has?

Represent the core interests of very affluent people who are in massive majority male, white, able bodied, straight and well educated. Essentially, don't have those protected characteristics.

The sign of the truly oppressed: they get no air time because not only are they very unimportant, people actually get cross with them for suggesting it and pushing themselves forward. No voice. Key characteristic.

It's like women and gay people in the main have said ok forget about us, we'll step back. And they seem to mean it. It's just, I don't get it. I mean even with being gc some time about t stuff is expected, but it's the majority.

Yes I perceive this too. And I guess that's why so much hyperbole and vitriol about those lesbians (and women in general to a slightly lesser extent) who don't toe the line.

I don't mean to be crass but as a op said it should be about work, as in making it easier for people to work there with special seats for bad backs or screens for dyslexia sufferers.

We had a visibility day and I work in science (admin) and I really don't see how who you fancy is relevant at work. The toilets thing is definitely an issue if you don't stick to your single sex space but I think who you fancy and what you wear should be way down the list of things that are interesting about you in general and far less so at work.

If you feel able OP you could try to redirect it to be about making increasing access or making it easier for certain tasks to be done at work if you were colourblind or dyslexic or suffered in some way that made it harder for someone to do their job.

Believe me it's the same everywhere, I have given up for the sake of my sanity, I nod and let them get on with it, I do not take my work feelings home with me anymore it's not worth it, we are just a number and the powers that be just don't care.

Yep, its Stonewall. Once they infiltrated there the job was pretty much done.

Whatever happens in the future, I will never forgive that organisation for abandoning lesbians in favour of the rights of penises.

They see it as the next liberation struggle because that is how it is being framed. Along with the false analogies to opposing this is akin to having opposed civil liberation previously (I.e. being a racist and homophobe).

I'd go along and act clueless, get them to explain what trans and nb mean then act all shocked that the definition fits you! Maybe all your colleagues will fit the nb description too...
(HR hate me btw so I might not have the best ideas..)

Where i work, we are encouraged to complete an online survey about lots of work-type things.
It's actually pretty good, so i'm happy to do it.

However they have recently fart arsed about with some of the questions and tied themselves up in knots with so-called 'inclusive' language.
So, i took it upon myself to explain that the words sex and gender are not interchangeable.

It asked 'what is your (assigned) gender?' which had 3 potential answers of male, female and other.
I told them that sex is a binary, so the only possible answers were M or F.
I also said 'one's sex is observed at birth and recorded as such on a birth certificate, as one cannot change sex'

I basically went on a bit of a rant and i felt better for it, to be honest.

But, like you, Dyrne, I'm not brave enough to say this out loud - my employer is Wokey McWoke Face and i might get into trouble. The survey is conducted by a separate company.

So, I would suggest asking the organisers if they could implement some suggestion boxes - for any questions that people might like to raise beforehand, etc.