Transgender Awareness Week is an opportunity to highlight the ongoing issues surrounding the transgender community on the lead up to the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR).
TDoR is an important day in the transgender community as it is used to remember the victims that have died through transphobic violence. The memorial started in 1999 and is now marked internationally by church services, marches, and various other events. Hate crimes against the community continue to rise with a recent report, released in March 2022 by the Home Office, seeing a 56% rise in number of transgender related hate crimes compared to the previous year.
Many trans people are stigmatized due to their identity which leads to issues such as high levels of unemployment, poor mental health, homelessness and many more issues. These issues drive high rates of attempted suicide and suicidal ideation which are far above the national average. In a 2018 report by Stonewall it was found that 46% of trans people had considered taking their own life that year compared to 31% of their LGB counterparts.
It has been noted that the suicidality statistics for trans individuals drops sharply when their gender identity is affirmed and leads to a great improvement in their mental health. The affirmation of trans people’s identities extend to their work life which is one of the many examples of why Diversity & Inclusion initiatives that create a sense of belonging are so important.
Rowe are now actively developing their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy to make sure everyone feels welcome, safe and able to be their authentic self.
