Trans inclusivity is PR’s chance to make a difference

The sage advice of not believing everything you read has become more relevant than ever in a digital age and never was there a better example of the harm caused by the spread of misinformation, than what we are currently seeing play out in relation to the transgender community. 

This tiny marginalised group of people represents less than one per cent of the population and yet in January 2023 alone, the Daily Mail dedicated a whopping 115 articles to trans-related stories, the majority of which were negative in tone. 

As we face the very real prospect of a return to the White House for Trump, with his ambition to “defeat the cult of gender ideology” or Desantis who seems to have doubled down on his predecessor’s rhetoric, things are looking bleak for those who are gender diverse.

Here in the UK, things are no better. The government’s anti-trans agenda is not one which the Conservatives have made any attempt to hide. In February 2023, deputy chair of the party, Lee Anderson, promised that the election would be fought based on the trans debate and culture wars and this tactic was evident at the Tory Party’s 2023 Conference, when the prime minister dismissed trans identities outright.

What is perhaps most concerning is that politicians can be so blatant about their strategy and receive very little pushback from the general public, who are seemingly more than happy to accept this rhetoric as the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

This is part and parcel of navigating the communications minefield that is gender diversity, where misinformation and disinformation abound and reputations can, seemingly, be lost with one false move. This is an arena in which you can become a ‘gender expert’ based on having grown up as a tomboy, where research which has been debunked time and again continuously raises its head as fact, where people’s humanity is debated through the lens of cisheteronormativity and ranked on the basis of whether an individual is perceived to be ‘trans enough’.

As we get washed away on the tide of salacious headlines created to generate revenue by driving clicks, it is vital that we do not lose sight of the genuinely devastating impact this is all having on very real people.  

Research published by the British Social Attitudes Survey revealed a decline from 82 per cent in 2019, to 64 per cent in 2022, in response to the statement that respondents were “not at all prejudiced against trans people”. Trans hate crime has soared, rising 11 per cent in the past year alone (this shoots up to 186 per cent if you look at the picture over a five year period). In its annual Trans Murder Monitoring (TMM) update, TGEU reported the murder of 321 trans and gender diverse people, down only slightly from 2022, when the figure was 327. Of these 94 per cent were trans women or trans feminine people. 

So what can we do about it?

As masters of communication, we are faced with a unique opportunity to flex our ethical muscles and to inform and educate our clients on the reality of the landscape for this marginalised population. We have the opportunity to make a difference by seeing beyond the headlines and the fearmongering and providing trusted counsel on how best to navigate this landscape with integrity. 

Most businesses still shy away from this conversation, believing it isn’t one that they need to be part of, believing that they can simply side step the thorny issue, or watch between their fingers as others dare to step into the arena only to come out the other side battered and bruised (Bud Light anyone?).

With one in five Gen Z adults in the US identifying as LGBT, a figure which has doubled since it was first measured by Gallup in 2012, being able to navigate trans inclusion with understanding and respect is key in ensuring your offer resonates with the widest possible audience - whether it comes to recruiting and retaining talent, appealing to customers, building a fanbase or securing buy in from investors. 

Trans people are our friends, teachers, students, shopkeepers, business owners, neighbours, guests, suppliers and, if your or your client’s business is over a certain size, your employees. Of course, with more than 50 per cent of trans people feeling the need to hide their gender identity at work, if your company does not promote a nurturing environment, you may be blissfully unaware of the fact. 

Inclusivity cannot, by its very nature, be selective. So get educated on how to navigate this landscape and crucially how to confidently guide your client around why it matters. Fear of making a mess is not going to give you the credibility you are looking for when your client is the focus of a social media pile on, or their tentative attempts at trans+ inclusivity go south, and they turn to you for help.

Comms professionals have always clamoured for a seat at the table, desperate to prove their value, to try to measure the intangible nature of what they do when it comes to influencing public opinion, but this is an arena in which they can really prove their worth and in doing so show up for a demographic that urgently needs informed allies. 

And for those who have bought into the Go Woke Go Broke myth, you might want to tell makers of the highest grossing - and wokest - film of 2023 that their strategy was wrong…with a $1.36 billion take at the global box office I am sure Barbie (and Ken) would beg to differ. 

Aby Hawker is the CEO of TransMission PR, a communications consultancy that specialises in trans and non-binary inclusion and awareness.