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LGBT employees face a host of challenges, from differential tax and immigration treatment to workplace discrimination. The Center presents workshops on these and other issues (visit Events for details), and is always happy to provide informal advising to individual employees. In addition, the UCSF LGBT Staff Group and the Staff Subcommittee of the Chancellor’s GLBT Committee schedule periodic educational and networking events, and there are weekly gatherings for LGBT employees and students (see Events).
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“Your presentation was outstanding. Many people in the group expressed afterwards how much they learned from the session, and how helpful the information you provided will be to them in working with employees at their locations.”
—Participant in
LGBT Center
workplace training |
The Center has been a powerful voice for benefits equality at UC and beyond. Equal benefits are deeply meaningful to LGBT employees--and their absence is, understandably, strongly linked to workplace dissatisfaction. UC now offers unsurpassed LGBT employee benefits, including equal health, welfare, and retirement benefits for same-sex-partnered employees; transgender health coverage for all employees; and equality in sick and FMLA leave for same-sex-partnered employees. (For details, consult UC's domestic partner benefits booklet or view UC's transgender health coverage.) UC also explicitly forbids discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity. For guidance about any aspect of benefits equality, contact Center Director Shane Snowdon.
The Center has raised awareness of LGBT employees and their contributions via innovative initiatives. A full-page ad in the Bay Area Reporter showcased LGBT employee achievements on- and off-campus in June 2008, the much-visited online Out List is printed annually in the UCSF paper, and UCSF’s annual commemoration of National Coming Out Day is heavily attended by LGBT and non-LGBT employees alike. UCSF LGBT employees are also featured in "Straight Talk About LGBT Issues," an informational pamphlet widely distributed throughout UCSF locations, and the Center distributes a wide variety of free items to heighten LGBT visibility, including pins, pens, and rainbow stickers for ID badges. In addition, the Visibility Project of the UCSF Chancellor’s GLBT Committee showcases the accomplishments and stories of LGBT employees both online and in print, via lobby displays, building banners, and shuttle posters.
Inclusion of LGBT people and issues in employee orientations and diversity trainings sends a powerful positive message (and, of course, the reverse is also true). UC's excellent domestic partner benefits and LGBT-inclusive policies are mentioned in UCSF employee orientations, and all attendees also receive information about the Center. (It may be difficult for a new LGBT employee to remove an LGBT brochure from a rack or table.) In addition, the Center advocates for inclusion of LGBT people and issues in general diversity trainings, as well as in presentations and materials that highlight other aspects of diversity.
The Center has advised human resources staff and a variety of units/departments on best practices in hiring LGBT people, from outreach and advertising to resume review and in-person interviewing. UCSF Medical Center has placed employment advertising in the national LGBT publication The Advocate, while UCSF’s commitment to diversity has been affirmed via notices in publications for LGBT health professionals and academics. UCSF has also worked closely with SF TEAM, a ground-breaking San Francisco transgender employment initiative. The Center is happy to provide consulting and training on these and other hiring initiatives.
It is no longer unusual for workplace climate surveys to ask participating employees their sexual orientation and gender identity, if information is also collected about employees’ gender and racial/ethnic identity. Allowing LGBT employees to self-identify in climate surveys—assuming the self-identification is voluntary, confidential, and anonymous—tells employers whether their LGBT workers have particular concerns and how their experiences compare with those of other workers. (For example, LGBT-inclusive surveys allow employers to assess the impact of benefits equality and LGBT-related workplace training.) The Center has advised on LGBT-inclusive employee surveys at UCSF, other UC campuses, and a variety of other employers nationwide.
The Center successfully advocated for creation of the UCSF Chancellor’s Award for LGBT Leadership in 2001. Each year, UCSF’s Chancellor presents three Leadership Awards of $2,000 each to a staff member, faculty member, and student at a ceremony attended by campus leadership. In addition, recipients are recognized by plaques at the entrance to one of UCSF’s major buildings, Medical Sciences.
The Center staffs the UCSF Chancellor’s GLBT Advisory Committee,which is charged with improving the quality of life for LGBT UCSFers. For 15+ years, the Committee has monitored and enhanced the environment for LGBT employees at UCSF. It is strongly recommended that employers create similar mechanisms for leadership to become acquainted with LGBT workplace concerns.
The Center has developed acclaimed expertise in transgender workplace issues; thanks to Center advocacy, UC and UCSF lead the nation in transgender policies and benefits. In 2003, UC’s non-discrimination statement was amended to forbid discrimination on the basis of gender identity—and in mid-2005, UC became the largest employer in the country to provide transgender health coverage to employees. UCSF has developed procedures and designated point-people to respond promptly to transgender employee needs, and has formed the Transgender Issues Subcommittee of the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on LGBT Issues to advise on the concerns of transgender employees.
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In addition to advocating for these breakthroughs, Center Director Shane Snowdon has delivered and arranged numerous presentations on transgender workplace issues. Contact the Center to learn more about transgender policies and benefits, arrange a training, or receive customized consulting. Information about transgender resources at UCSF is also available on the FAQs page.
Off-campus transgender workplace resources include San Francisco’s Transgender Law Center, the HRC’s excellent guides to transgender workplace inclusion, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the Transgender Law & Policy Institute, Transgender at Work, and SF TEAM, which offers job fairs and career guidance. |
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“Thank you for the wonderful presentation this morning. It was extremely helpful and insightful—and also genuinely inspiring.”
—Participant in
LGBT Center
transgender training |
