FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Because our profession is better when everyone is able to be their genuine self.

What is the Gender Identity Bill of Rights (GIBOR)?
The Gender Identity Bill of Rights is a document that outlines the baseline rights needed for transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people to exist in the veterinary profession as described through a panel of transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming and ally writers, editors, and reviewers.

Why is the GIBOR important?

The Gender Identity Bill of Rights is important because it serves as a moral and ethical bridge or guidance between legal support for gender diverse rights and what that translates to in the veterinary profession. This is the reason why affinity organizations which support marginalized groups within veterinary medicine have understood its importance and rallied behind the document.

Why should people care about the GIBOR?

People should care about the GIBOR in multiple ways.

• Those who do not consider themselves as allies should see it as direction to modify behavior as it outlines the minimum amount of space expected for those who were not allowed to exist to exist now as themselves on the same field.
• Allies should see it as a means to reinforce their understanding of how to support and to educate themselves on other areas that need to be built up to provide the supportive space that they envision.
• Transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals should see those people, organizations, institutions and companies who commit to the GIBOR by signing as reaching beyond symbolism to create actual change. Transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals can also use this document to determine if their basic rights are being met in the positions they are currently in and to advocate for their own rights within their workspaces.

Why is the document entitled a Bill of Rights?

Bills of Rights translate aspiration into guided direction. They are statements of expectations that express what is needed rather than emotions about a subject. They are more than a mission statement or a vision summary, they are a train line with all the stops built, the track laid down and all that is remaining is passengers to be carried along the way. By writing the GIBOR in the voices of those affected, there is no ambiguity as to what is needed.

Should the GIBOR be considered a policy?

The GIBOR is a moral and ethical guidance document. The law states that LGBTQ+ people cannot be discriminated against at work, and Title IX states that they cannot be discriminated against at school either. Policy is set by organizations, institutions and companies.  Discrimination is defined by the recipients of discrimination. In this way marginalized communities are frequently not enfranchised with deciding policy, but they will always be able to define discrimination when they see it. Given that the GIBOR defines the basic ways to avoid discrimination from the voices of those who receive it, whether or not it is policy, one can argue that it will still have a broad ranging impact. This impact will eventually be felt not only for those who choose to engage and use it as a tool to implement protections for gender diverse employers, but also for those whose support is visibly absent.

Why should individuals sign on to show their support of the GIBOR?

When people vote, they vote with their feet. The more people there are from all parts of the profession that sign their name in support, the closer we are to a profession that is safe and accepting for transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals.

Why should organizations sign on to show their support of the GIBOR?

Beyond rainbow flags, merchandise, and podcasts, true support is more than verbal.  True support involves acknowledging and facilitating the existence of marginalized people in the profession. Not only is signing an expression of support – the promise is that that chunk of the profession that encompasses the organization then changes. This is a landmark time for transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people to be themselves and have the tools to co-exist. Many organizations, institutions, and schools have expressed concerns about liability in this moral and ethical guidance document.  One question that must be asked is what the liabilities are of discrimination when the profession does not move forward to engage with the changes in law.

How do individuals and organizations sign on to show their support of the GIBOR?

They can go to the resources tab on the PrideVMC website and click on the Gender Identity Bill of Rights. There is a link to sign there. Additionally, logos can be uploaded to the page to demonstrate support.

How can the GIBOR be actualized and implemented?

You can find many answers in PrideVMC’s Gender Diversity Guide (GDG). This guide provides the reader with historical and legal background, steps for implementation, and suggestions for compliance for the GIBOR in addition to providing context and further guidance. This is a positive guidance document to assist the profession in reaching the baseline level of support for transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals.

As with any journey, the first steps frequently involve education. To this end, PrideVMC offers a host of online and in person learning opportunities. There are additional numerous resources available from organizations like the Human Rights Campaign, Transgender Law Center, GLAAD, GLSEN, Lambda Legal, PFLAG, and the National LGBTQ Task Force. When we work to change the profession for transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people, we do not operate in a void. This is a humanitarian effort that carries forward in this difficult era that we live in today.

Is the GIBOR all that is needed for the veterinary profession? 

No, it is not.

Meaningful collaborations for change are needed between organizations and the communities they want to shore up. But all work like this requires a starting point. This GIBOR to be fair isn’t even the starting point, there has been significant and ongoing activism from individuals like Drs. Dane Whitaker, Kate Toyer, and Michael Dibler to name a few. This effort includes those who worked for years before without the prospect of ever experiencing rights for themselves that others took for granted.

There are many more points to be made to be sure, but one thing that is very important is education and empowerment. It has become abundantly clear that many obstacles are related to the lack of an understanding of needs. It has also become clear that the future will need transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming participants in decision making. By growing leaders and adding these parties to consideration for committees, boards, and organizational leadership, there may be different times ahead. The years ahead are expansive for the LGBTQ+ community with an ever growing out and gender diverse population.

Why is the word ‘violence’ specifically used in the GIBOR?

The use of the word ‘violence’ as regards to misgendering and dead naming is accurate. Violence implies harm that reaches a level that can cause significant damage to an individual. Deliberate or willful misgendering and deadnaming is a lack of recognition of someone’s identity in the workplace. We know that this lack of recognition of identity is a key contributor to suicide in transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people. Canada has ruled this behavior a violation of civil rights in 2021.

Additionally, one in four trans people has experienced violence based upon their identity, which such behavior foments.

Further, there has been no disagreement from any transgender, non-binary, or gender non-conforming person regarding the use of the word violence in this document. In fact, every individual has said that the term is accurate. Since impact is greater than intent, it is critical to utilize this word specifically, because this wording is carefully chosen to yield an appropriate understanding of the harm that this behavior causes.

How should I respond to the following question from a decision-maker in my workplace? “We are not going to sign onto the GIBOR because the content could change without us knowing it, and then our organization name and logo could be associated with something that we do not support.”

During the course of the GIBOR’s existence, no significant changes have been made in the text of the document.  If there were any changes, it would be most likely around repeal of the Supreme Court ruling, in which case we would alter the wording at the beginning to reflect either a) emphasize international agreements on human rights (as the global GIBOR does), or b) emphasize still extant rulings. Given that it is built around 12 basic rights, we do not anticipate adding any further rights to the document.  Were we to do so, we would announce our plans to do it and give a 180 day comment period around the additional right. Any signatory’s participation in the GIBOR is voluntary.  The only minor changes we can anticipate is if someone finds that wording is not inclusive enough for the gender diverse community and we have to make a minor change that would not affect the impact of the document. As we can’t always perceive those changes in advance, we tried to leave flexibility in place.

How should I respond to the following question from a decision-maker in my workplace? “We are not going to sign onto the GIBOR because we prefer to show our commitment by how we act on a daily basis.”

While we agree that action speaks louder than words, the GIBOR is not like putting up a rainbow flag during Pride Month and then taking it down. Signing it is an action that demonstrates commitment within the organization to basic human rights for gender diverse individuals.  Omission of these overt rights is also an action, much as neutrality is a choice. Therefore, we appreciate both signing the GIBOR and taking the opportunity to follow up on further steps as elucidated in our article on the subject and allyship materials.

Who should I contact if I have additional questions?

We appreciate you taking the time to read these FAQs and would love to hear from you. Please contact us at genderidentity@pridevmc.org.