{"id":1214,"date":"2025-11-18T16:35:42","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T16:35:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/business-and-society\/?p=1214"},"modified":"2025-11-20T09:25:49","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T09:25:49","slug":"trans-awareness-week-what-it-means-for-businesses-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/business-and-society\/2025\/11\/18\/trans-awareness-week-what-it-means-for-businesses-today\/","title":{"rendered":"Trans Awareness Week: what it means for businesses today"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every year, from 13\u201319 November, Trans Awareness Week reminds us that visibility and understanding can change lives. For businesses, it\u2019s also a moment to reflect on what inclusion truly means in practice \u2013 beyond policies, Pride campaigns and corporate statements \u2013 as <\/em>Dr Varala Maraj<\/em><\/a> explains.<\/em><\/p>\n

Drawing on my ongoing research with Dr Mario Campana<\/a> and Dr Rohan Venkatraman<\/a> \u2013 which recently won 'Best Paper in Consumer Culture Theory track' at the Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy (ANZMAC) Conference in Sydney \u2013 I explore how UK businesses across several sectors are working to make their services and workplaces more welcoming for the trans community.<\/p>\n

Our research includes perspectives from trans consumers, EDI consultants and business owners. The conversations we\u2019ve had reveal both progress and growing pains: while many trans consumers continue to feel excluded from the marketplace, many businesses are genuinely eager to do better \u2013 they just don\u2019t always know where to start.<\/p>\n

Understanding the \u2018T\u2019 in LGBTQ+<\/h3>\n

Like all consumers, trans individuals use shops, services and organisations every day. Yet our findings show that many trans consumers often feel misunderstood or unseen by UK businesses.<\/p>\n

At the most basic level, many firms lack awareness of how being trans shapes their customers\u2019 everyday experiences \u2013 making it crucial to clarify what it means to be trans and why this week matters.<\/p>\n

A transgender person is someone whose gender differs from the one assigned at birth. The term \u2018trans\u2019 is an umbrella term encompassing a range of gender identities, including trans men, trans women and nonbinary people.<\/p>\n

While many companies engage with Pride campaigns under the broad \u2018LGBTQ+\u2019 umbrella, it\u2019s important to remember that trans people are a gender minority, rather than a sexual orientation minority \u2013 unlike \u2018L\u2019, \u2018G\u2019, \u2018B\u2019 and \u2018Q\u2019.<\/p>\n

This distinction underscores the importance of Trans Awareness Week, Trans Pride and the trans flag as celebrations of identity and resilience. The week culminates on 20 November with Trans Day of Remembrance, which commemorates the lives of trans people lost to transphobic violence and prejudice.<\/p>\n

What trans-inclusive business engagement looks like<\/h3>\n

Our research conversations with UK business owners highlight examples and insights that can help pave the way to greater inclusivity. Service sectors, in particular, face unique challenges due to their interactive, client-facing nature \u2013 where small gestures can make a big difference.<\/p>\n

One exemplary case comes from Essential Maintenance, an independently owned, Bristol-based salon. Its owner, Rebecca Porter, has taken deliberate steps to make the space inclusive for trans clients.<\/p>\n

She shared:<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of our clients are trans, and many are drag performers. Some trans clients have come to us after being denied service elsewhere, because not all salons are welcoming or trained to work confidently with trans bodies.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Rebecca regularly engages in specialist training to better understand and meet trans clients\u2019 needs. The salon also offers trans-inclusive membership bundles, helping to make services more accessible and cost-effective.<\/p>\n

Even with these intentional efforts, challenges remain \u2013 such as balancing the desire to demonstrate allyship with legal and operational constraints. Yet there are many ways businesses can meaningfully convey inclusivity while remaining compliant.<\/p>\n

For instance:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Ask for preferred names to enable clients to use their chosen name rather than their deadname (name given at birth)<\/li>\n
  • Ask, don\u2019t assume, pronouns or gender to avoid misgendering customers<\/li>\n
  • Review customer-facing scripts, online forms and loyalty programmes to ensure they reflect inclusive language and options<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    These may seem like small changes, but they send a powerful signal that trans consumers are seen, respected and welcome.<\/p>\n

    Moving beyond policy to practice<\/h3>\n

    As we mark Trans Awareness Week, it\u2019s an opportunity for organisations to review how their practices align with their stated or intended inclusion goals.<\/p>\n

    Creating environments where all consumers feel respected and valued is not only good for individuals: it also supports better customer relationships and service experiences.<\/p>\n

    By authentically approaching inclusion with curiosity, consistency and care, businesses can build trust and ensure that their services reflect the diversity of the communities they serve.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Every year, from 13\u201319 November, Trans Awareness Week reminds us that visibility and understanding can change lives. For businesses, it\u2019s also a moment to reflect on what inclusion truly means in practice \u2013 beyond policies, Pride campaigns and corporate statements...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1377,"featured_media":1215,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3,152,13,66,129],"tags":[4,10,41,18,16,231,149,89,47],"class_list":["post-1214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-and-society","category-equality","category-gender-equality","category-research","category-wellbeing","tag-business-and-society","tag-consumers","tag-corporate-responsibility","tag-equality","tag-gender-equality","tag-lgbt","tag-marketing","tag-responsible-business","tag-wellbeing"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/business-and-society\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/133\/2025\/11\/ev-LIpXyCKBvtY-unsplash.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pd4Pj1-jA","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/business-and-society\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/business-and-society\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/business-and-society\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/business-and-society\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1377"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/business-and-society\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1214"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/business-and-society\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1214\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/business-and-society\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/business-and-society\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/business-and-society\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/business-and-society\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}