Passing the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Equality Act (SOGIE) will strengthen diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace, a gender equality advocate said.
“It will help catapult DEI into the workplace because the law (SOGIE Equality Bill) will prevent discrimination,” said Janlee Dungca, managing director of Castro PR and a trans woman, in an interview at the Pride Summit press conference on June 27. .
The SOGIE Equality Bill will provide protection against discrimination and violence in the workplace to all Filipinos, not just LGBTQIA+ individuals, Ms. Dungca said, as everyone has Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC).
“If a… woman is discriminated against in the workplace or anywhere because she is a woman, the SOGIE Equality Act will also protect that person. If there is a man who is discriminated against because he is a man, the law will protect him too,” Ms. Dungca continued.
The diversity in DEI suggests that companies are hiring different types of workers from different backgrounds, especially as it relates to SOGIESC, she said.
However, she explained that diversity is not enough; There must be equality and inclusivity in the workplace.
“Equality means giving more opportunities or more influence to the marginalized people (LGBTQIA+), so that they can be on the same footing as the non-LGBT people. Inclusion… means helping this diverse group of people achieve their limitless potential by enjoying the benefits,” Ms Dungca said.
Her advocacy for DEI in the workplace began after she faced discrimination in 2011 when applying for a role as a student educator at a religious academic institution.
“My friend who worked in the HR department of the said institution told me that a big consideration as to why I didn’t get the job was that I am trans,” she explained.
A 2021 global study by the Williams Institute at the University of California School of Law shows that About 29.8% of LGBTQIA+ employees reported not being hired for a job because of their SOGIESC.
Respondents reported unfair treatment at SOGIESC during the job application process, including explicitly discouraging LGBTQIA+ applicants from applying for jobs.
“Being judged, not for my abilities, but for being transgender… when I look back, I wish I did better… but it also really pushes me to advocate for gender equality, for diversity, equality and inclusion in the workplace,” said Ms Dungca. – Edg Adrian A. Eva