Woman calls on public service to remove roadblocks for trans employees

When Kate Hart showed up to her public service job as herself for the first time, there was a bouquet of flowers waiting for her. 

"It made me cry a bit. It made me very happy. It made me realize that my colleagues were still my colleagues no matter what, and that was a very amazing feeling," she said.

She was working for Passport Canada in Edmonton, and when she transitioned in 2008, she wasn't sure what kind of reaction to expect from her colleagues and bosses.

"It was terrifying, because you never truly know how you're going to be accepted until you get there. When you're taking that step into the unknown, it's always scary," she told guest host Giacomo Panico on CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning.

She wants to make sure coming out as transgender in the public service isn't a scary experience for workers, so she helped develop Public Services and Procurement Canada's new guidelines on how to accommodate transgender employees — the first for a federal institution. She came to Ottawa this week for the launch of the guide.

The guide lays out best practices for workplaces to assist employees who have transitioned or are in the process of transitioning, and advice for those employees on how they can ease back into work.

'We in the public service should be leading'

"The process needs to be run by the trans person at the speed of the trans person," said Hart, who went to her union for guidance first, and then to her managers, who were supportive.

"I would have to say I'm probably the anomaly. I mean, I had the full support of my local management team, and senior management," she said. 

"I had the support of all my colleagues, and equally important I had the support of my family and friends. And sadly, that's not the case for most trans people."

Many transgender people in the public service, according to Hart, often have "roadblocks thrown in their way" when trying to come out at work, like being asked by managers to wait to disclose their transition, or to transfer to another area or department.

On the other hand, she believes some in the workplace may be too hasty in sharing that information about an individual with others.

"While the person may have disclosed to you as the manager or you as the peer, they need to be driving the bus. It needs to be at their comfort level. And that's probably one of the biggest things that is in the guide — the process is directed by the trans person," she said.

Hart would like to see all federal departments adopt this guide so that it can serve as a "leadership document" for other sectors.

"We in the public service should be leading, so that then business and other levels of government can see what we're doing and follow it," she said.