Bobbi Pickard is a prominent voice on trans and non-binary rights and has been campaigning for over 20 years.
In 2017, Bobbi founded Trans in the City, the largest organisation for trans and non-binary people in business. It was privilege speaking Bobbi Pickard, learning more about what motivates her and the inspirational work of Trans in the City.
What motivated you to campaign on trans and LGBTQIA+ rights?
Firstly, what I saw in business, is huge injustice. For example, injustice for trans and non-binary people in getting jobs and promotions. I’ve seen trans people paid less after transitioning. Secondly, I’ve been an activist for 23-years and when I first started campaigning, I lost a friend through suicide.
How did that impact you?
I can’t accept a society that makes people feel so bad about themselves, that they feel the only option is to take their own lives. I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to her and she was the person that helped me come out. I don’t know where she’s buried and I don’t know when her funeral was. It’s still an incredibly hard thing for me to deal with now. It made me want to try and make things better. Unfortunately, five other people I knew have taken their lives through suicide and so many other people have had their mental well-being ravaged by the way society treats trans and non-binary people.
Which areas concern you the most on trans rights?
The overarching problem is the amount of funding that is coming from right-wing organisations into media and government circles. We’ve seen the impact in court actions, the vilification of the trans and non-binary community and introducing fake threats, that trans women are supposed to be inflicting on society! That’s my main concern.
There’s an ongoing issue with access to healthcare and it’s not just around transitioning, it’s healthcare generally. Most trans and non-binary people won’t see a doctor because of the level of abuse they receive from clinicians, so trans and non-binary people are dying earlier because they’re not getting conditions diagnosed. We’ve seen hideous consequences from the push back on healthcare for young trans and non-binary people.
Can you briefly expand on how non-binary people are impacted?
For non-binary people, especially, there’s still no recognition for their identity. If you don’t recognise a person in your society, how can you afford them equal rights? There are so many areas where trans and non-binary people are not thriving but barely surviving.
Do you have a key tip on how we can be allies to trans people?
An ally isn’t just somebody who thinks what happening is wrong and it should be changed. That’s an interested bystander. An ally is somebody that stands up, defends and changes things. No minority in history has gained equality or more rights alone. A minority does not have that power. A minority has to raise the injustice, get the majority interested, but it’s the people in the majority that need to open the door for equality.
What about allyship within the LGBTQIA+ community?
Being an ally, you need to understand the power you have. In the LGBTQIA+ community, the people who are empowered to make a difference are white gay men. We need that group of the community to be really involved. There’s this misconception that people who aren’t trans can’t talk for trans people, but they absolutely can.
People who aren’t trans or non-binary can’t speak from lived experience, but it’s the job of an ally to amplify those trans voices, either directly or by saying what you’ve learned and been told. We need people to be our shield, amplify and support us. There’re so few trans and non-binary people, and so few that have the platform to be role models, a handful of people, so we need people to be allies.
How can people support Trans in the City?
If you’re an organisation then you can become a sponsor, if you’re a trans or non-binary individual you can join us as a member, if you’re an ally, we’ve got a very active allies’ stream. I’m extremely keen on building and empowering our allies’ group. We’re here as a collaboration. Our 350 global corporates and other businesses are here to work together and that’s the whole point of Trans in the City – come and join with us. Bring your ideas and we’ll collaborate with you. Trans and non-binary rights need everybody working together.
Follow Trans in the City and Bobbi Pickard on Instagram.
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