Friday, 31 March is International Transgender Day of Visibility, an annual event dedicated to celebrating transgender people and their contributions that make our world better and brighter while also raising awareness of the discrimination they face worldwide. With laws targeting LGBTQ+ people on the rise, and many of these pieces of legislation particularly harmful to our gender-diverse community, our global network of inclusive tourism businesses needs to be vocal and visible in their support more than ever.

So, what can you do? A lot! Here are some examples:

  • Build support systems for trans and nonbinary employees.
  • Implement inclusive hiring practices for gender-diverse candidates, including pay equity.
  • Incorporate diverse slate hiring plans and include trans people in the process. This strategy encourages recruiters to look longer, harder, and smarter for those with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and identities.
  • Provide advancement opportunities for your trans and gender-diverse colleagues through mentorship and sponsorship programs for equitable representation throughout your organization.
  • Make sure your company benefits plan shares your vision about trans and gender diverse communities. E.g. if you have a gym membership it's important to guarantee that all employees would be able to enjoy a discrimination-free environment. 
  • Use transgender content creators and models in your campaigns year-round.
  • Speak out against transphobia in the workplace and in your communities.
  • Train your teams and staff on LGBTQ+ diversity and inclusive practices. Bear in mind that training should lead to the implementation of transgender-inclusive policies such as creating gender-neutral bathrooms, gender-inclusive uniform policies, use of inclusive language and pronouns, etc.
  • If you are a hotel or accommodation business, find out what you need to do to become IGLTA Accredited and be sure you are doing the work to make your property trans-inclusive.
  • Make sure you are implementing supplier diversity strategies and supporting trans-owned businesses in your community.
  • For travel advisors, do your homework in advocating for your trans and gender-diverse travel clients by recommending destinations that are welcoming and safe for them and sharing strategies that will set them up for success.

Striving for safety and equality in travel has no boundaries or borders. The IGLTA Foundation Transgender Advisory Group contains dynamic professionals from the U.K., United States, Ecuador, Chile, Brazil, Hong Kong, and India who are working diligently to provide training and resources that will inspire more allies and elevate the lives of transgender people, and we encourage you to support them in their efforts. Read more here about the members of our group and the incredible work they do year-round.

IGLTA celebrates our transgender and gender-diverse friends, family, and colleagues on TDOV, but we stand with them every day and so can you! Together we can transform the travel industry into the most welcoming one in the world.