Two transgender teachers too many to many?

• The following is an open letter I wrote expressing my gratitude that I got to publically delegate about the development of the Whistleblower policy and my concern that another person in a similar situation was denied. Note: I changed some details in the interests of privacy.

To Whom it May Concern,

I’m writing this open letter to thank you for allowing me ten minutes to delegate about my lived experience as trans person, my whistleblowing activities and the subsequent retaliatory investigation and actions by my employer for having done so.

Trans and gender-diverse voices are not often heard or are usually rendered invisible, so it was validating to participate in a public process, sharing a small fraction of my seven years of examples illustrating the need for external oversight in a whistleblower policy.

Some have said that I was rendered invisible regardless, since the whistleblower policy was approved to be ratified by decision makers while trusting the investigation and final decision portion to the employer. I, however, can’t entirely agree since I did get the chance to speak, even if my story was ignored, and this is more than Mara Fabrizio can expect. Decision makers have decided in advance that Mara’s voice does not apply, so they may not delegate orally. This leaves me feeling like a fortunate transgender person, being the only one who won the delegation lottery.

Sadly, my employer does not have a further five or ten minutes to hear Mara Fabrizio recount their experiences with whistleblower retaliation. Even if these didn’t apply, it’s hard to believe decisions are being made in favour of silencing a known whistleblower. You would think everyone would want to err on the side of caution and hear all voices, thus modelling the spirit of the whistleblowing policy they are currently approving with such undue haste…

 Mara Fabrizio’s delegation may have educated us further about their employer’s treatment of trans and gender minority folx as well as whistleblowers. But we will never know, as they have been denied that opportunity. We can, however, learn about the decision maker’s treatment of whistleblowers and note how they seem to be following in similar silencing steps of the employer are supposed to be governing.

As advocates for workers, I encourage these decision-makers to continue modelling listening (and perhaps learning) from all community members, including the ones like Mara and me, whom many would like to ignore or silence.

So, while I am grateful to the decision-makers for allowing me to delegate, I am also sorry other community members in the same position won’t get the same opportunity. 

• UPDATE:

• In the end, Mara Fabrizio was allowed to delegate but not speak of anything personal because maybe they are not a person.