Interview with Lewis Hayden
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Sure! My name is Lewis, my pronouns are He/Him and I am currently working in Experian as a Service Desk Specialist. I’m 23 years old and living in Nottingham after moving here in 2018. I am trans and started my transition after leaving Ireland with the UK private system. I have recently joined the Experian Pride Network after seeing some great content being put out during Pride Month and I am hoping I can use my own experiences of being trans to help us push inclusion and intersectionality across the world of Experian.
The Gender Recognition Act 2004 is considered a great step forwards for Trans rights – why has it come into question?
Definitely, the Gender Recognition Act in its time was a great step forward for Trans Rights. As all legislation grows older and more people come forward with their lived experiences it’s been established that yes, this was a great step but there is still some work to do to make the process easier for trans people and fairer. Currently, if you are a UK citizen wishing to change your birth certificate you need to essentially prove your Trans Identity to a group of strangers that meet a few times a year to discuss these cases brought forward. You need to provide years of evidence that not everyone will have access to, medical reports that are hard to obtain as NHS waiting lists are now averaging out at 3+ years for a first appointment, psychologist reports, and even permission from your spouse if you are married. The trans community has been speaking out about this for some time as even though the end result is a new certificate in your gender and name if applicable, the process in which you need to go through to achieve this can be extremely difficult practically and mentally. Currently, it is estimated to date that 6000 applications have been processed successfully through the GRC process. When you put that together with the estimated number of trans people in the UK (200,000-500,000) it is a very low percentage which speaks volumes about the process.
There may be people reading this who are wanting to explore transitioning but nervous about the process of ‘coming out’ as Trans at work. Can you share a little about your experience?
Personally, I have had a very positive experience transitioning at work. I started my transition while presenting female in Experian which was a strange experience, I won’t lie. I sent an email off to my manager one afternoon before signing off and thought I’d worry about the response later lol. The support I received was so heart-warming to see, my manager was very supportive of me and helped me with any worries I may have had. I was made aware of what resources I had internally, whether that was through lifeworks, HR or Experian’s Mental Health First Aiders and that really made me feel like my workplace valued me regardless of my gender identity. I was due to leave the company in the months after coming out so I made the personal decision to keep my transition between my managers and myself and they were very happy to do so. This made me feel safe and welcome in the company but also gave me the security to come out on my own terms. I have since joined back to Experian almost 2 years into my transition and I received the exact same level of support coming back which was amazing. If there are any colleagues currently reading this who may feel like they are trans or questioning my inbox is always open for support in any way I can.
Why is employer support so important during the transitioning process and beyond?
Employer support is incredibly important throughout transitioning and beyond. Transitioning is very individual and there is no one way to transition. To have your workplace openly and honestly support you through this really makes life less stressful as a trans person. Knowing no matter what goes on in the outside discussion regarding trans rights in the media that when I come to work, I am supported and made feel included and safe. It’s also great to see Employers supporting trans rights not only internally to their own staff but to their customers and stakeholders as this shows that Experian is progressive, supportive and a top employer to work with. You also never know what your colleagues go through in their home lives so providing that safe and welcoming work environment is crucial. The top 3 things I would love to see from all employers is regular communication regarding support for trans people both internally and externally, openly supporting transitioning colleagues at work regarding medical time off/ supporting name changes /allowing staff to use the bathroom they feel fits their gender identity. And finally providing space for colleagues to take control of their own stories and to support them whether or not they decide to come out in the workplace and if/when they do employers should ensure this is as seamless as possible for their trans employees
What advice would you give an Experian employee if they were looking to transition?
Take your time and do what is right for you! Do not feel pressured to tell more people than you want to and take everything at your own pace. There are great information points out there where you can find information on transitioning both through the NHS or privately. (I can defo find a link to pop in here with resources) I also want to echo what I’ve said before and offer an ear to anyone who may need it and my inbox is always open for support or advice! Within Experian, you also have a great team of LGBTQ+ people and allies within the Pride Network who you can also reach out to for support or information. If anonymity is your concern lifeworks can be used or another great resource is https://switchboard.lgbt/ where you can also speak to someone.
We have had a very turbulent and challenging year, and in the midst of a global pandemic and global social uprising fighting racial injustice, we have also seen attacks and discriminatory debate on the Trans and Non-Binary community. Can you share your thoughts on the events of this year?
Honestly, its been a crazy year indeed, I feel like there has been so much more open discussion on trans and non-binary rights which is good but that has also opened space up to people who think we shouldn’t have more rights and a lot of transphobia is being portrayed on social media, news articles and we’ve even had celebrities come out and speak against us. It’s disheartening as a trans person to see your life essentially get turned into a taboo debate topic where space has been given for these debates to happen it’s almost always a conversation that stems into the demonization of trans and non-binary people. Unfortunately, I truly believe we are seeing the same gut-wrenching debates people 50 years ago were having about homosexual people and we are only causing the trans community harm by silencing real-life experiences over unfounded ignorance.
Thank you for talking with me today Lewis, it’s an important but courageous thing to share so openly about your personal experiences. Why do you think it’s critical that we talk about these topics in the workplace?
Of course! Thank you so much for having me and giving me the opportunity to talk about this subject. I really believe the only way forward is education and without talking about these issues in the workplace we really are allowing our own trans colleagues to be silenced. In 2020 we have really seen a push for equality across all minorities and unless workplaces make the steps themselves to become more inclusive and supportive, we will not see the change needed. Diversity and Inclusion is so important and without having these discussions in the workplace I feel like we are letting ourselves down as a company. We need to uplift all colleagues from every background especially those still facing discrimination in their day to day lives. And there is no better way to do this than educating our employees about who they may work with in order to provide a safe working environment for all colleagues including our trans and non-binary workmates.
