• Does your department or organisation discriminate against clients on grounds of race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, ethnic or social origin, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture and language?

• How would a SSA or trans person know they were welcome in your organisation?

• SSA/Trans people (both clients and workers) afforded the same rights as other people with regard to the dignity, privacy, freedom and security of their person?

• Do you network with any GLBTIQ organisations?

• Do you ever deliberately invite representatives from GLBTIQ organisations to participate in workshops, focus groups and other events?

• What are your department or organisation’s guidelines around confidentiality with regards to SSA/Trans clients or fellow workers?

• What kind of training does your staff receive with regards to issues and challenges specific to SSA?Trans people?

• Do you include SSA/Trans examples, scenarios and images in your educational media, training courses and promotion of your service?

• What are the kinds of secondary discrimination that could be experienced by SSa/Trans people in your department or organisation? How do you plan to deal with it?

• What would you do if you have a colleague who refuses to deal with SSA/Trans clients and usually refers them on immediately?

• What resources, mechanisms and procedures are in place to inform SSA/Trans clients about their rights?

• Does your department or organisation have a code of conduct or fundamental principles that it has committed itself to? What does it say about your department or organisation’s relationship to SSA/Trans people?

• In what ways does your organisation/department adhere to the procedures and guidelines as regards discrimination on the grounds of sexuality as set out in the Equal Opportunity Act 1984 (SA)

Creating a safe space
Everyone has the right to feel that there are safe spaces in which they can speak openly about themselves. If your department or organisation is providing appropriate and non-discriminating services to SSA/Trans people it will develop a positive reputation. In a similar way discrimination will also give your department or organisation a negative reputation. You may consider starting a SSA/Trans support group in partnership with a local GLBTIQ organisation, raising issues of sexuality and gender at multicultural interagency meetings, or sending a representative from your agency to sit on a GLBTIQ interagency meeting.

Are you providing appropriate information to your SSA/Trans clients? What kinds of brochures does your department or organisation provide to the public? What kinds of information have you equipped your helpline workers with? What kind of training have your counselors received?

When you are creating information resources or educational media you should include references to sexuality and gender issues and scenarios, where appropriate. When communicating to an individual or a group about HIV, for example, you should remember to include some information on same-sex relationships and sexual activities. Include SSA/Trans issues in workshops, like workshops on gender violence.

There is a need for positive SSA/Trans role models – especially for young people who are coming to terms with their sexuality. One way to present such role models is through your department or organisation’s educational media.

The Rainbow Visions ‘Rainbow-Friendly Guide’ also suggests the following:

1. Have policies explicitly prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the provision of services.

2. Have procedures for clients to file and resolve complaints regarding discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

3. Have procedures for clients to file and resolve complaints regarding discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

4. Use inclusive language in forms and procedures so that they are culturally appropriate for GLBTIQ clients (i.e. use “partner” rather than “husband/wife/spouse”).

5. Provide ongoing diversity, harassment, and anti-discrimination training for staff around GLBTIQ issues as they pertain to the organisation’s services, so that all staff can identify and address basic GLBTIQ issues within the scope of their expertise.

6. Have confidentiality policies that explicitly acknowledge that information about sexual orientation and gender identity is highly sensitive and should be treated accordingly.

(Sections of this information are adapted from ‘Understanding the Challenges facing Gay and Lesbian South Africans: Some guidelines for service providers’, a publication of OUT LGBT Well-being, South Africa)