Recently, I signed up for a webinar, and was prompted to select my gender with these options:

• Male
• Female
• Transgender

As a transgender man, I was in the painful position of choosing between being counted as a trans person, or being counted as a male. It was a very “othering” experience from a very well-intentioned group.

It is so critical to be inclusive of LGBTQ+ people when it comes to Self ID, but make sure you are doing it in an informed way.  For example, you might want a two-step question:

How would you describe your gender?

• Male
• Female
• Nonbinary

Do you identify as transgender?

• Yes
• No

Or you might want several options that do not assume a cisgender norm:

Select your gender:

• Cisgender woman
• Cisgender man
• Nonbinary
• Transgender woman
• Transgender man
• Other (please specify below)
• Prefer not to answer

Our DEI Consulting Practice, Lavender Law 365™ is here to recommend industry best practices when it comes to Self ID and beyond.

Want to check how you’re doing when it comes to DEI in your workplace?