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?