17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø

Lisa Annese, CEO, Diversity Council Australia for International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (May 17^th)

Each year on 17 May, more than 130 countries celebrate International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT).

IDAHOBIT has been marked since 2004, and this year it will be much more of a day of reflection than it is for celebration.

Despite the tremendous strides towards equality for 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇøI people in Australia over the past three decades, there is still so much more to be done. There are gaps in Australia’s federal anti-discrimination protections for people with intersex variations and non-binary gender identities; and in NSW, bisexual people are not protected by anti-discrimination laws.

Certain service providers are allowed to discriminate against gay, lesbian, and transgender people, a situation that could worsen under the proposed religious freedom legislation.

Babies born with intersex variations still undergo invasive medical procedures. And in some states, trans and gender-diverse people are still required to undergo surgery or medical treatment prior to changing their sex or gender marker on birth certificates.

And while workplaces have made huge improvements in welcoming and including 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇøI people, a released earlier this year from DCA and Pride in Diversity showed that for people who are culturally diverse and 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇøI, current workplace D&I initiatives weren’t addressing the nuances of their intersectional identities.

Based on the findings of a survey of almost 200 culturally diverse 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇøI workers, the report found that for more than half (55%) of respondents the combination of their cultural background and 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø status negatively affected their workplace experiences.

Many respondents told us that they felt like these two aspects of their identities made them much more susceptible to discrimination:

There is just a bigger package of reasons for some people to hate us. I think it makes us an easier target.

This wasn’t surprising, but it was dismaying. It is similar to what we hear from in Australia. Those women find that their gender and cultural background combine to create a double jeopardy at work. For culturally diverse 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇøI people, this double jeopardy could be further amplified by the stigma around being 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇøI.

Other people in our study told us that their workplace didn’t connect these intersecting parts of their identity. For them, D&I programs were either about being 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇøIÌýor about cultural diversity – but not both.

My experience as being both culturally diverse and part of the 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇøI community at work don’t really interconnect and are completely separate. We have diversity and inclusion programs/teams which focus on cultural diversity, and those that focus on 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇøI, but none that focus (or even work together) on various inclusion considerations at the one time in a joint/collaborative way.Ìý

So how can organisations improve their understanding and inclusion of culturally diverse 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇøI people?

They can start learning more about the experiences of people from different backgrounds. Creating safe spaces for people from culturally diverse backgrounds who are also 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇøI to share their opinions and experiences. They can increase the visibility of culturally diverse 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇøI leaders and role models involved with leading D&I initiatives. And they can consciously ensure intersectionality is part of all D&I programs.

As Australia starts slowly relaxing restrictions, and workplaces are starting to make plans for returning to offices, it’s a good time for us to pause and reflect on what inclusion means for everyone in our workplaces, and in particular our 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇøI colleagues from diverse backgrounds.