EQUI - Transgender employability

Por que você não contrata uma pessoa trans? — Photo: Isadora Fachardo

Promoting the employability of transgender professionals

Context

EQUI is an initiative for promoting the employability of transgender people. The project was created in 2019 by the Global Shapers' Hub in Belo Horizonte - a World Economic Forum allied network that brings together young people engaged in creating a positive impact in the world.

In its first phase of the project, with the support of Procter & Gamble, EQUI has promoted the training of transgender people, offered legal and psychological support, and carried out awareness actions about the importance of promoting the inclusion of the transgender public in the job market.

My participation as facilitator focused on this last axis, making the bridge between the spokespersons of the project at the moment - Giovanna Heliodoro, Lanna Marx and Lui Rodrigues - with the corporate public.

Approach

Opening space for dialogue and awareness-raising on trans employability with Human Resources representatives responsible for hiring processes in companies

The preparation journey for the meetings with representatives of companies involved four meetings between the people invited to be spokespersons of the project, in which I acted as facilitator. During the sessions, we had time to align purposes; reflect on the situation of trans people in Belo Horizonte regarding employability; build the narrative to be presented for companies aiming to create awareness and urgency regarding the hiring of trans people.

In this phase of the project, EQUI's spokespersons conducted two meetings with the corporate public: mining companies' employees based in Belo Horizonte and the second open to the general public, with a special invitation to resident companies of WeWork Belo Horizonte. After the speeches and presentations, I facilitated a dialogue among the participants. Many people present demonstrated it was the first time they had had deeper contact with the question of trans employability and reported being deeply touched by the conversation.