“ Providing trans and non-binary guests with realistic expectations of their experience in a caring way shows that you ’ ve taken the time to consider their presence in your establishment .”
adjustments such as placing your pronouns in email signatures and social media profiles — it normalizes the actions of trans and non-binary people and makes for a more inclusive future .
P : As a transgender , non-binary employee in a spa at a luxury hotel chain , what challenges have you faced ?
K : Our industry remains heavily invested in the gender binary , which presents a number of challenges . As an example , for most of my seven-plus years working in the industry , I felt constrained by my assigned , gendered uniform and unsafe expressing my concerns without being misunderstood . Eventually , I raised those concerns with hotel leadership and our Human Resources team and gained the use of a uniform that aligned with my gender identity , which I view as one of my biggest workplace accomplishments . Further conversations led to other encouraging changes : hotel management converted two private staff washrooms into all-gender changing areas , administration accepted my name change and updated their systems and my leadership team supported me when I changed my pronouns .
That said , there are still major areas for growth . When I enter the hotel , I get changed on a separate floor than
MARCH 2021 ■ PULSE 29