Interview questions for the Public Service Pride Network (PSPN)
Ahead of Public Service Pride Week, CAPE sat down with Jason Bett in his capacity as Champion, Public Service Pride Network (PSPN). In addition to his Champion role, Jason has recently taken on the role of the new Visiting Senior Advisor for 2SLGBTQIA+ Inclusion at the Canada School of Public Service.
Public Service Pride Week (PSPW) was created to send a clear message to Canadians that their federal public sector is diverse and inclusive. The Fifth annual celebration of PSPW will take place from August 21– 25, 2023.
The PSPN includes CAPE members among its supporters and active participants.
- What are some of the enduring issues faced by members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community within the federal public sector?
For the most part, many cisgender gay, lesbian and bisexual people experience a sense of inclusion in the workplace. Micro-aggressions and isolated harassment certainly occur, but society and the workplace have progressed to become more accepting. However, the same is not always true for Two-Spirit, transgender, non-binary, and gender-diverse people. Studies have shown that they are twice as likely as other employees to have been the victim of harassment in the workplace. This is exacerbated by the fact that many federal buildings and organisations lack gender-inclusive washrooms, which means that Two-Spirit, non-binary, and gender-diverse people individuals are left without a space that feels truly safe for them, and binary transgender employees are often met with resistance when using the bathrooms that conform to their gender identity.
Furthermore, while some federal organisations have made it easier to change one’s name and gender on official documents, many still make this process very difficult, which impacts mental health, physical safety, and career development. Even when an employee is successful at changing their name within their departmental systems, issues still exist persist in other areas. For instance, employees will often have to repeat the name change process when they transfer departments, dead-names (a term transgender people often used for their name given to them at birth) are often still present in URLs, and not all directories will reflect the change of name or gender markers.
In addition to these struggles, qualitative studies have shown that gender nonconforming employees are less likely to be promoted and face limits to their career advancement due to prejudice and bias.
- What initiatives/steps has the PSPN undertaken to address these enduring issues?
The PSPN has emerged as a vital and influential advocate in championing 2SLGBTQIA+ issues within the federal public service. Through an Open Letter submitted to Deputy Ministers in May of this year, the Network has raised awareness about the challenges faced by the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, and more specifically about the issues faced by our Two-Sprit, transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse colleagues. In doing so, PSPN actively advocates for change.
We also offer training sessions for federal organisations to learn about what it means to be transgender, what the proper terms of reference are, why gender-inclusive bathrooms are so important, and how and why to integrate the display of personal pronouns into our everyday environments.
In addition, we also have two Action Committees that support the PSPN: 1) A Gender Identity and Expression Action Committee that brings together transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse public servants to support and advocate for themselves and for its diverse communities. 2) A newly created Policy and Outreach Action Committee that will conduct outreach to other equity-seeking employee networks to identify and collectively advance shared issues and conduct policy analysis and provide positions and recommendations on various issues on behalf of the PSPN.
- What support services or resources does the PSPN offer members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community employed in the federal public sector?
Firstly, the PSPN provides a forum for networking and collaboration, enabling employees to connect with like-minded individuals across the public service.
Through panels, brave space discussions and events like Public Service Pride Week, 2SLGBTQIA+ employees and allies gain access to valuable educational opportunities that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion best practices.
We offer a mentorship program to provide 2SLGBTQIA+ employees with opportunities to learn from 2SLGBTQIA+ executive mentors within the public service. Recently, we introduced the new onboarding information section on our website (www.publicservicepride.ca), specifically tailored to assist both new and current employees. Our goal is to ensure workers feel welcomed, valued, and empowered from day one.
Furthermore, the PSPN and the Executive Pride Network serve as consultative bodies and conducts advocacy on behalf of its members, for example with the Open Letter to Deputy Ministers, the Public Service Employee Survey, the initiative allowing employees to add their pronouns to the name display field in MS Teams and Outlook and APEX's Executive health and wellness study.
- What role do you see federal public sector unions such as CAPE playing to better support the 2SLGBTQIA+ community within the federal public sector workplace?
CAPE can support the 2SLGBTQIA+ community by advocating for Two-Spirit, transgender, non-binary, and gender-diverse communities and championing the measures outlined in the Open Letter to Deputy Ministers, namely:
- Engage with these colleagues to hear their perspectives firsthand, and to better understand the dynamics of these people using an intersectional lens.
- Enhance training and career development opportunities for transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse colleagues in your organization.
- Sponsor at a minimum, one transgender, non-binary or gender-diverse individual in your respective organisations, actively supporting their career progression towards executive positions.
- Prioritize the construction (or renovation) of inclusive washrooms to foster a greater sense of belonging among all employees.
- Accelerate changes to pronoun, gender markers and name-changing processes so as to reduce, if not eliminate, time-consuming steps that people in this community are forced to take in advocating for themselves.
- Participate in Pride events throughout the year, as your leadership will send clear signals that your organization is indeed diverse, equitable and inclusive.
- What is the focus/theme of this year’s Public Service Pride Week and why was it chosen?
The theme for the Fifth Annual Public Service Pride Week, Taking Action to Create a More Inclusive Public Service, underscores the pivotal role of fostering diversity and inclusion within the public service.
This theme emphasizes the proactive commitment to promote a workplace environment that embraces individuals, from diverse backgrounds, experiences and identities. By encouraging active participation and advocacy, the theme calls upon all employees and senior leaders of the public service to engage in tangible actions to support 2SLGBTQIA+ employees.
- How can employees access programming for the week?
The official program for PSPW is available at www.publicservicepride.ca.
- How can members contact the Network?
Members can contact the PSPN by email at PSPN-RFFP@csps-efpc.gc.ca
PSPN is also on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PSPrideNetwork (EN) and https://twitter.com/ReseauFierteFP (FR); and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/pspride-fiertefp
For more PSPN events: https://publicservicepride.ca/events/
