PrideVMC releases doc outlining civil rights expectations for transgender, nonbinary individuals

The Pride Veterinary Medical Community works to support transgender, non-binary and gender nonconforming individuals in the veterinary profession.

PrideVMC’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Working Group recently released the Bill of Rights on Gender Identity to address inequality and inequality in the veterinary field.

“PrideVMC recognizes the importance of a clear and unequivocal commitment to equality, equality and the human rights of transgender, non-binary and gender-inconsistent individuals in our diverse LGBTQ + family at a time when the general public’s acceptance of our brothers is unusual” According to a press release from PrideVMC.

In the United States, state lawmakers have introduced over 100 anti-transgender laws in areas such as access to medical care and access to toilets.

“It’s time to make our job a safer space for the transgender community,” the press release reads. “This Gender Identity Bill of Rights for the veterinary profession is just a beginning. We invite you to adopt this rights agreement at your workplaces and academic institutions and to implement it in order to make an active contribution to making the veterinary profession an integrative space. “

According to the authors, the document can be revised or supplemented upon receipt of the feedback. Currently, the bill outlines citizens’ expectations of transgender, non-binary and gender nonconforming individuals in veterinary medicine.

The non-binary flag of pride, created by Kye Rowan in 2014The transgender Pride flag created by Monica Helms in 1999

Some of the rights include the following:

• Right to identity: Gender identity is personal and individual. No one other than the person should dictate the terms of gender identity, gender expression, or the processes involved in gender verification. In addition, there should be equal opportunities in education and employment within the profession regardless of gender identity.
• Right to be named: Addressing a person by their name shows respect and confirms that you trust that they know themselves better than you do. Deliberate “deadnaming”, whether as a continued deliberate campaign or willfully negligent use of a person’s maiden name or current legal name in place of a chosen name, is an act of violence against transgender, non-binary and gender-nonconforming individuals and should not be tolerated.
• Right to pronouns: Pronouns can be fluent and subject to constant change by the individual. The correct use of pronouns is a right; Therefore, introducing pronouns in conversations, pronouns on name tags, and pronoun tags in emails that can be easily changed should be standard practice to create inclusive spaces in the veterinary profession.
• Right to privacy: Transgender, non-binary and gender nonconforming individuals have a right to privacy and should not be required to disclose any private medical information or details about their life, body, gender expression and / or identity. Employers and colleagues should not discuss medical information or details about these people with other employees, customers, etc.
• Protection against discrimination / harassment by employees: It should be the responsibility of the veterinary profession and the employer / institution to undertake to identify and reduce harassment and discrimination of any kind at the learning place / workplace / workplace.

The authors are Dr. Erika Lin-Hendel, Ewan Wolff and Jenna Ward. A number of reviewers and contributors were also involved.

A second resource from PrideVMC, the Gender Diversity Guide, will be released in 2022. It will expand the 12 points of the Gender Identity Bill of Rights and discuss best practices for gender affirmation and provide links to established resources.

The authors welcome feedback on the Gender Identity Bill of Rights and recognize that there are likely to be needs that are not considered in the document. PrideVMC encourages anyone with comments to send an email Gender identityProudVMC [dot] org.