Creating authentic spaces: a gender identitiy and gender expression toolkit to support the implementation of institutional and social change

We hope you find this toolkit useful as you move forward
in your process of supporting diverse gender identities and
gender expressions. This work is an ongoing process and
this toolkit provides you with practical steps and ideas of
where to begin, where to go, and what to keep doing.
It is important for every organization to strive to be a place
in which all individuals can express their authentic selves
and feel comfortable and safe. It is also your organization’s
legal obligation to create spaces that are free from discrimination based on gender identity and gender expression,
and to provide equal access to opportunities and benefits.
With that in mind, this toolkit will serve as your guide toward creating an affirmative work environment for people
who identify as trans and gender non-conforming. A positive, supportive environment allows all people to express
their whole selves; when everyone is able to do this, we are
each able to reach our highest potential.
This toolkit is to be read alongside the Ontario Human
Rights Commission’s (OHRC) Policy on preventing discrimination because of gender identity and gender expression.
When read together, these two documents will give your
organization a well-rounded awareness of ways to implement positive structural changes in these areas. In 2017,
the Canadian Federal Government amended the Canadian Human Rights Act to add gender identity and gender
expression to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination. Since 2012, the United Nations resolutions also outline
protections for both sexual orientation and gender identity.
We encourage the use of this toolkit in a global context.
While we make use of Canadian and Ontario-based laws
and human rights legislation, we believe that preventing discrimination based on gender
identity and gender expression is a social and moral obligation that each and every one of
us must support.
While there is no “one size fits all” route, this guide will be a road map that will help you
better understand the different paths your organization can take to abide by the law and
organizational policies and to create a welcoming, safe, and inclusive environment.