In November 2021, global consulting giant McKinsey & Company released a report on the experiences of transgender people in the workplace. The findings painted a portrait of inequity, discomfort, and often hostility and harassment. For instance, only a third of trans respondents to McKinsey’s survey said they feel comfortable being fully out at work. Even fewer felt comfortable being out with clients or customers. And only 14 percent said they see leaders above them at work who look or seem like them.
LGBTQ+ rights nonprofit Basic Rights Oregon is determined to change that. Several years ago, it launched Catalyst: a free, yearlong leadership program for transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming adults from across the state. Catalyst is now at the close of its third iteration, with 19 cohort members set to celebrate completion of the program in July. For the last year, they’ve met monthly on Zoom for sessions that co-facilitator Jo Doyle said have been just as much about creating a network of support as building leadership skills.
