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Diversity in employment and services discussed at Red Deer forum

Aug 17, 2017 | 4:30 PM

A forum on understanding gender indentity and gender expression in employment and services was held Thursday.

The talk featured speakers Natalie, application systems analyst with the City of Red Deer, and Birju Dattani, assistant northern director with the Alberta Human Rights Commission.

Natalie said with a rising number of people in the community who are coming out or transitioning, it’s imperative to share the knowledge and information on how employers should or can accommodate that.

“The big thing to come out of this [forum] was to try to have policies in place and if somebody comes to you [as an employer] with the need to transition, to work with them in whatever that transition means to them,” said Natalie.

In recent years, Natalie says there has been an encouraging shift in how the public perceives the transgender community.

“Even going on social media you see a lot of positive posts defending transgender rights as opposed to even just two years ago.”

Finding common ground between employees and employers is one of the biggest tasks in dealing with any kind of diversity or change in the work place.

“If [an employee] comes to you with the need to transition, there is that need. It’s not a question, so it’s a question of how the employer can support and accommodate that person through the transition.”

Dattani said there is a huge need for conversations like this one to continue taking place in Red Deer and all over the province.

“The importance of having conversations like this one is to foster, at least from the standpoint of businesses, a way in which they can ensure that they respect and include a workforce which is diverse and increasingly diverse,” said Dattani.

He added that both an education process and a legal process need to play vital roles in the development of policies for businesses and services.

“Whether that’s knowing how best to accommodate people, or whether it’s having policies set in place that respect them.”

Companies and employers are increasingly aware of the diversity in the community and Dattani added that he’s glad to see them seeking out resources and information on how best to accomplish equality and understanding in the workplace.

The Alberta Human Rights Commission is a great resource for employers and Dattani said they make a great first step for any employers dealing with or seeing something that is new or emerging or that they’re just learning about.

“The first step is asking how to find out more about this. On this particular issue you have plenty of excellent organizations and recourses set up around this issue that are usually more than happy to provide information so you don’t necessarily have to go to the individual in question,” said Dattani.

When in doubt, Dattani suggests anyone seeking information and unsure where to go to contact the Alberta Human Rights Commission. They have a confidential inquiry line where people can access the list of available resources.

Some of the available resources in the community include the Trans and Non-binary Aid Society, the Alberta Hate Crimes Committee, and the Trans Equality Society of Alberta just to name a few.

For more information on the Alberta Human Rights Commission visit www.albertahumanrights.ab.ca.