How fashion can lead on trans and non-binary inclusion

To receive the Vogue Business newsletter, sign up here. Signs of progress in trans and non-binary inclusion are emerging in the fashion world. This month, fast fashion retailer Asos expanded its healthcare policy for its 3,800 employees worldwide to cover a more diverse range of health-related life experiences. Its benefits now include paid leave for pregnancy loss and fertility treatment; flexible working for employees going through menopause; and up to six weeks of paid leave for a broader range of life events such as cancer treatment, escaping domestic abuse and gender reassignment surgery. In the beauty sector, L’Oréal has been updating its family leave, equal opportunities and sickness policies with gender neutral language since 2019, as well as introducing a policy for transitioning in the workplace. And Sephora runs virtual classes to inspire confidence around life transitions, including one titled ‘bold beauty for the transgender community’. Fashion and beauty are well positioned to lead on trans and non-binary inclusion because of their deep ties to gender expression and self-actualisation, says Vivian Topping, director of advocacy and civic engagement at Equality Federation, a US-based organisation. “Fashion and beauty help us feel seen. The most impactful moment in my transition was when I learned how to do my own makeup.” Fashion’s role may become more significant in the face of legislative setbacks in the US for transgender rights. These are being eroded every day, says political scientist and advocate Logan Casey, who tracks transgender legislation in the US with the Movement Advancement Project. “The last several years have seen unprecedented attacks on transgender people’s rights at every level of government in the US,” he explains. “We’re looking at an ongoing fight to protect the basic rights and abilities of transgender people to participate in society and live free from harm.” This leaves trans and non-binary workers — particularly those in consumer-facing roles such as retail — in a vulnerable position, and not just in the US. According to a 2018 report on LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion in the UK by Stonewall, six times as many trans people report being physically attacked at work compared to other LGBTQ+ people. Some 31 per cent of non-binary people and 18 per cent of trans people didn’t feel able to wear work attire representing their gender expression. Progressive businesses are tackling this issue. “Whatever industry you work in, you’re trying to reach the best talent,” says Grace Francis, chief experience officer at Karmarama, part of Accenture Interactive. “You need to be able to bring your whole self to work to do the best work, because innovation is driven by inclusion and intersectionality, especially in creative industries. People shouldn’t have to base where they work on where they feel safe. So you need to create a structure and environment where people can thrive.” How specific should policies be? Most brand policies are informed by employee diversity and inclusion councils alongside external experts. Based on these inputs, Tapestry, which owns Coach and Kate Spade New York, now encourages all employees to include their preferred pronouns in email signatures and these are collected during onboarding for new hires. Corporate offices have gender neutral bathrooms, store associates have gender neutral dress codes, and support for gender transitions, counselling and prescriptions is included in US employee healthcare benefits. Employees fed ideas into the policies at British cosmetics retailer Lush, which reviewed its trans and non-binary inclusion policies as part of a 100-day diversity and inclusion action plan, instigated after the murder of George Floyd in 2020. To account for nuances and intersectionality, equity, diversity and inclusion lead Michelle Houlston says Lush took a generalist approach to its ‘Respect at Work’ policy. It doesn’t have specific policies about trans healthcare, but offers emotional and medical support for any medical treatment. However, some employees would like more specific policies. “For people who are ready and willing to do what is morally right, generalist policies are enough, but there is room for interpretation,” says Ash Arthur, a trainee manager in Lush’s store in Cork, Ireland, and an employee working group member. “Having specific policies for marginalised experiences would be the more equitable thing to do.” The creation of explicitly trans-inclusive policies is especially important in healthcare, says Casey, pointing out that transgender issues and procedures have been historically excluded from healthcare. “There is a stigma built into the healthcare and insurance systems so people may have to jump through lots of hoops or be denied care,” he says. Another challenge is the lack of data around how many trans and non-binary people work in the fashion and beauty space. “We don’t have information on representation because we want to steer away from tick-boxing or putting quotas on people,” says Houlston of Lush. “A critique of generalism is that things can be overlooked, and we recognise the need to be specific and collect more data going forward.” Companies that do gather data should do so anonymously, so people feel safe answering honestly, says non-binary model and writer Radam Ridwan. Best practice doesn’t rely on government legislation In a legislative environment that is hostile across the US, according to Casey, fashion companies can help. “Businesses can play an important role in filling those gaps.” Indeed, businesses can take the lead. “It’s progressive when companies think about transgender care in a proactive way, instead of waiting to implement policies in moments of crisis or when they meet a trans person for the first time,” says Wangu Chafuwa, changemaker at inclusive workplace consultancy Utopia. “There will be a rapidly changing demography in the workplace in the next few years, so these policies will be more needed and standard.” Paul Greenwood, head of research and insight at We Are Social, a creative agency that works with brands from Adidas to Netflix, points to Starbucks as a leader in trans and non-binary inclusion. The coffee company has covered gender reassignment surgery in its health insurance plans since 2012, extending this to procedures which were previously considered cosmetic — breast reduction or augmentation, facial feminisation and hair transplants included — from 2018 (for US employees). Other companies’ policies vary across geographies. “We do trade in some markets that criminalise homosexuality and are not as progressive,” notes Lush’s Houlston. “We can’t be as loud in those places, as a matter of safety, but there is a known hum of encouragement that allows people to be themselves at work.” Gender-inclusive retail Internal training is one aspect, but brands have significantly less control over the people engaging with trans and non-binary employees in their retail spaces. “In consumer-facing roles, you’re interacting with people who don’t know you or your identity, bar the role you’re presenting to them,” explains Arthur. “That means having to hide your identity for some safety, and not introducing yourself in a way that might lead to discrimination because you don’t know how that person might react to your identity.” Houlston says Lush has seen an upward tick in third-party harassment since the Covid-19 pandemic, and is being proactive about asking staff how they want to be supported in those instances. Arthur highlights the speed and ease with which Lush changed their name and pronouns on payroll and rotas — with the option to change again at any time — as particularly supportive. “I could see how comfortable my new name felt before changing it legally,” they explain. “It meant a lot to have my employer respect that process.” Increasing visibility of trans and non-binary models in advertising campaigns and catwalk shows also helps normalise gender inclusivity, which in turn aids smooth adoption of inclusion policies, says Greenwood. “But it’s not just visibility,” he says. “You need the right team and crew behind the camera, including photographers and makeup artists that understand those individuals’ needs and make them feel safe. If you’re making someone visible, you need policies in place to protect them afterwards.” Hiring trans and non-binary people across all levels of the business, and supporting them year-round — not just during Pride month — is important, adds Topping. The categories brands use to sell clothes also have an impact, says Ridwan. “Fashion has built up gender norms, so we need to de-gender fashion in general to move forward.” Some smaller retailers — including London slow fashion brand Riley Studio and multi-brand retailer Slowco — are already adopting gender-neutral categories and designs. Slowco has swapped womenswear and menswear categories for ‘femme’, ‘masc’ and ‘all’, which co-founder Faris Hamadeh says creates an expression-based shopping experience. For Dani St James, founder of UK charity Not A Phase, empathy and openness are key to progress. “No one has to be demonised for not knowing the right answer straight away,” she explains. “It’s about asking the right questions, and knowing where and how to ask them.” Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@voguebusiness.com. 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