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In the beginning of 2021’s Pride Month, major corporations in Switzerland signed what they call the LGBTIQ Agreement. In this beautiful one-pager they basically state that everyone is the sum of their experiences and that they will not ever judge anyone on anything other than their competence, experience, work ethic, and capacity to grow and learn.
The CEOs of twenty-four major corporations operating within Switzerland signed this important paper.
I wish this weren’t even necessary. But it is. And as such it is a wonderful step in the right direction of accepting, hiring, evaluating, and promoting people for the right reasons.
The core message is “We will never evaluate your work based on who you are or who you love.”
This statement is something many individuals, companies and organizations can learn from.
Looking at the entertainment industry more specifically, these kinds of clear statements and actions are few and far between.
I am a trans man who has worked for many years in the entertainment industry. Most of the time for two major corporations within this industry.
And, from my own experience, I can say that diversity and inclusion were something that was barely ever talked about.
Of course, the focus of our daily work is to keep the show running safely and successfully. We work insanely long hours and are often thoroughly absorbed by our show duties.
But, if we are honest, this is true for all the companies on this statement as well. Yet, they still find the time for extensive campaigns, education and sensitization of their staff, research, and the implementation of clear actions. This on a daily basis.
“But the entertainment industry is so open and welcoming to individuals of all backgrounds anyways,” you might say. And you’d be right. But it is not that simple.
Without transparency and clear communication, without clear statements of support like this LGBTIQ Agreement, life can be very lonely for someone who doesn’t quite fit the still widely established societal norms – even backstage.
Let me give you just a few examples from my perspective as a transgender man who was never bullied for being transgender inside the entertainment industry. But who didn’t have anywhere to turn to, either, when things weren’t quite straightforward.
What if I get injured and brought to the hospital? What if no one from my company is there to protect me when the hospital staff realizes I am a man without a penis? Will I get the proper treatment then? This is not as self-evident as you might think.
The show family is going to one of their many BBQs on the beach. Everyone is getting drunk and later gets naked and skinny dips into the ocean. I don’t, because they have never acknowledged that they are aware of me being transgender and I am afraid of their reactions when they see me fully naked with certain parts missing.
As a side-effect of my timidity, I am then perceived as someone who isn’t fun and integrating himself enough. Because I do not take part in all activities.
The same goes for alcohol consumption. With one show, I lived in a country where when the police caught you driving intoxicated, they threw you in prison for a night. So, I barely ever touched any alcohol. Because I was terrified of being strip searched by a bunch of policemen in a foreign, conservative country. I simply didn’t know if I would survive the encounter.
Many people from our show family viewed me once more as not being social enough. “He never comes out to drink with us.” Some might even have made the decision to not contact and hire me for a future opportunity because of this.
Then there are the locker and shower rooms backstage. The one I was in when I worked at a large aquatic show in Asia never had any shower curtains installed in the four years I worked there. There was no privacy whatsoever. All the other males seemed fine with this. I wasn’t.
But I had no idea whom to speak to about it. I felt incredibly exposed and uncomfortable. Especially considering the banter in our locker room which often included bad jokes about lady boys.
No one sensitized the staff towards the fact that some jokes are not funny and can be extremely discriminating and intimidating for those individuals who perhaps know someone or themselves identify as what is laughed about in those jokes.
So, I always either ran into the locker room first to quickly shower before everyone else. Which triggered comments from my team on how lazy I was. Or I didn’t shower at all. Which also wasn’t a good solution.
Then, in one show I worked for, there were cases of sexual harassment. One department head regularly touched people’s nipples or even went between their legs. When we complained about it to company management, they even sent someone from headquarters. Just to tell us that they had no intention of taking any steps against this man.
I quote, “We are not going to do anything about this. It’s your own responsibility to stand up against him and set limits.” Imagine that. We all felt incredibly lost.
However, try to imagine how much worse this was for me. Not having any nipples or something between my legs. I was horrified and felt abused as well as exposed at the same time.
“Ah, but he doesn’t mean anything by it,” I was told way too often from many sides within the company when trying to speak up against the harassment.
To this I say “NO”. You must own the impact of your actions! No matter how well intended. If you offend or even traumatize someone, you must take responsibility. No matter how much you believe it is no big deal. And it is the company’s job to take responsibility, too.
These are just a few examples of how certain circumstances and behaviours can impact someone who does not quite have the same background as others in his company.
The only way good work conditions for everyone can be achieved is by being transparent. By talking about these things. Bringing them to the surface.
And in this, management must be a voice of diversity, equality, mutual respect and inclusion. In every way, shape, and form.
We evaluate your work using many criteria.
The knowledge you bring.
and what we can still teach you.
Your accomplishments
and what you can still accomplish.
Your ability to learn new things and apply them.
How you inspire your environment
and how you let your environment inspire you.
The challenges you choose.
What you learn from losses
and how you celebrate victories.
Team spirit, talent, and potential.
Performance.
For example, the abundant nepotism and favoritism in the entertainment industry. Something just as damaging for equality, diversity, and inclusion. On any level of the human spectrum.
This overall equality and inclusion continues to be something to think about. Something which needs to be addressed far more deeply by an industry which creates magic every day onstage, yet often has people who suffer in silence backstage.
Because these people have no one to turn to and are too afraid to speak up in an industry this connected. Where everyone around the globe knows everyone else.
The chances of not getting hired again because we are viewed as “difficult” or not “politically correct enough” are very real.
There is too much silence. Too much that is unspoken. And, thus, far too much potential for unnecessary trauma and toxicity.
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Liam Klenk was born in Central Europe and has since lived on four continents. Liam has always been engaged in creative pursuits, ranging from photography and graphic design, to writing short stories and poetry, to working in theatre and shows. In 2016, Liam published his first book and memoir, 'Paralian'.
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