Colleagues across our global company share their insights on the importance of celebrating International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV).
TDOV takes place on Friday, March 31 and is an opportunity to increase the visibility of trans and non-binary people in business and society.
"Transgender Day of Visibility is an amazing opportunity to increase visibility of the honesty and bravery of trans and non-binary people, who are just being open to everyone about who they truly are," says Barry, Project Manager, Aegon UK.
"As a proud dad of my transgender daughter I fully understand how brave and strong she has been on her personal journey and ironically Covid lockdown was a fantastic opportunity for me to get to know her true self more. My family and friends have been fantastic support for my daughter and celebrating TDOV is a great chance to share, increase support and continue positive benefits going forward for this amazing group of people."
Why have TDOV?
TDOV is a timely reminder that the ongoing debate in society is not about an abstract concept. It is about people, possibly a colleague, a client, or a contact at a third-party supplier. Or closer to home, a child, a cousin, a friend, or neighbor who deserves the same rights and respect as anyone else.
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Transgender is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or expression is different from the sex they were assigned at birth. Being transgender does not imply any specific sexual orientation.
Non-binary describes a person who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman. They may identify as being both a man and a woman, somewhere in between, or as falling outside these categories. While some also identify as transgender, not all non-binary people do.
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The business world, particularly the financial sector, has traditionally been conservative with an emphasis on conformity. Thankfully, this is changing, and our company, starting with the Management Board, is committed to embracing diversity and inclusion.
In our Statement on Inclusion and Diversity, CEO Lard Friese says: “I want people from all walks of life to feel welcomed, seen, heard and valued at Aegon.” Our company is committed to creating a welcoming environment. For instance, transition leave is provided for in the Collective Labor Agreement for colleagues working in the Netherlands. But March 31 helps us appreciate that colleagues are also dealing with what is happening in the wider world.
Dare, who works at Transamerica: "Here we are especially mindful of TDOV. We owe it to the trans children of today to provide safety and nurture to ALL children, to make the world better than it was for us when we were younger."
TDOV also means a lot to Michael, Pensions Administrator, Aegon UK who is a non-binary person, with a transgender partner. "It allows conversations to be more open and for people to ask questions and understand who we are."
How to show support
One of the clearest ways to show support is to refer to people by their correct pronouns (he, she, they). The simplest thing to do is to ask a person what pronouns they use. Colleagues also may indicate their preferences in their email signature or in their LinkedIn profile. Using the correct pronouns doesn’t cost much effort, but it means a lot.
Maja, Senior Marketing Manager, Aegon AM: "To me, normalization really helps to feel seen and acknowledged. I’ve always hidden my true identity, but for the past years I have been using the momentum that is created. It makes me feel safer to express my non-binary identity."
An active and global Proud network
Globally, Aegon NV has several Proud groups, serving different regions and run by employees and supported by the management board. If you like to read more, please visit our Proud web page
