The first firm in the country to be certified as a Great Place to Work, Teleperformance Philippines continues to lead the workplace conversation on diversity and inclusion as it initiates employee programs that provide channels for continuous learning and development. One such initiative is QUEERies—a forum series to discuss the issues and topics of concern for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Allied (LGBTQIA+) community.
Recently, the company held “QUEERies: Trans Health in Focus,” which featured subject matter experts who talked about the specific experience of transgender people (Transgender pertains to individuals whose gender identity, expression, and behavior do not conform to that of their birth sex), as they try to lead healthy and productive lives while undergoing their personal journeys.
Transgender health is an important inclusion issue as this population group has unique health-care needs. Unfortunately, accurate information coming from legitimate sources can be scarce and health practitioners with expertise in transgender health are very few. These leave many transgender people at risk as the alternative is to seek information and advice among themselves or through unreliable sources.
Through the forum held at Teleperformance Alphaland Southgate, the company helped to bridge the gap by tackling some of the health and wellness issues, as well as share best practices that transgender people should know about through the help of the resource persons.
This event is also the company’s contribution to the annual Transgender Awareness Week, a global platform that aims to raise the visibility of transgender and gender nonconforming people, and address the various issues that the community faces.
Featured guest speakers were Dr. Jan Dio Miguel de la Cruz and YanYan Araña from Victoria by LoveYourself, the first community center in the Philippines that is focused on Transgender health and wellness services. Aside from basic physical health check-ups and baseline laboratory procedures, the center provides counseling services on transgender concerns, hormone management for transgender, pre-SRS assessment and counseling, as well as free HIV Screening for all.
Among the topics shared by Dr. Migs de la Cruz were Gender Affirming Interventions that are available in the country, as well as the risks involved, what someone who is transitioning can expect in going through that journey—both physical and social, and where they can find professional support to help them.
Meanwhile, YanYan Araña provided the social context and shared anecdotes from the LGBTQIA+ community’s experiences, underlining the need for a change in the culture’s mindset and attitudes toward gender and its real impact on people’s lives. YanYan enjoined everyone to “stand up for your trans colleagues and trans friends,” saying t the LGBTQIA community are not the only ones who may stand up for each other. “There’s the ‘A’ which stands for ‘allies.’ Be our ally.”
It is a call for inclusion that is echoed by Teleperformance Philippines.
“Teleperformance embraces diversity and finds the common ground among everyone. This is a truly accepting environment, something we’re proud to have built and protected over the years,” said Philip del Rosario, Teleperformance Philippines’ manager for Diversity and Inclusion.
The forum was streamed live on the company’s official Facebook page to open the conversation to a wider audience.