It's International Transgender Day of Visibility!

For International Transgender Day of Visibility, we wanted to spotlight the owners of one of our Living Wage Employers, Dave and Jen from Sparkling Legacy.

Dave recently came out as trans and Jen has identified as non-binary for many years. We want to highlight their experience and journey and shine a light on the disparities the trans community faces when it comes to the work force.

“We both worked in regular professions, Jen as a nurse and Dave as a CPA. These roles fit in many ways, but with our own needs around neurodivergence and mental health, plus the needs of our kids, we needed something different. Jen started Sparkling Legacy and Dave had the chance to join a few years in, we saw an opportunity to support ourselves, the needs of our kids who have high needs, and the needs or staff and clients, which are families like ours, all at once. There is alignment across the board for values, work we do, and how we live.”

According to the Ontario Equal Pay Coalition, half of all trans and non-binary individuals earn less than $15,000 per year when compared to their counterparts. That doesn’t even include the fact that after transitioning, transgender women have noticed a 30% drop in wages. When we spoke to Dave and Jen, this is what they had to say in terms of why it’s important to showcase trans folks and their stories and encourage them to spearhead their own Living Wage organizations/companies.

“First, trans folks are notoriously underemployed. This is due to a number of factors, but lack of safety and high discrimination are significant ones. Love is the antigen to hate, which is often just a reaction to ignorance, and our visibility can change that factor. Second, visible leadership for all marginalized folks matters. If we can help enable someone else to become their full, authentic selves, or we can inspire a trans entrepreneur to start something or keep going, and also validate ourselves, we’re doing all right.”

“We are not an island – we have allies, partners, and community support. In today’s climate, where those are not guaranteed for trans folks, being willing to walk away from opportunities that don’t align is an important asset because there are so many, like Living Wage for Families BC, that do fit. We found our fits and want that for everyone.”

“You can do this by leading from what’s possible. As someone who is trans, you’ve demonstrated such immense leadership, even to yourself if you’re not out to others - this is another area you can show up where it matters to you and those around you. A living wage makes sense for everyone and making it happen in your organization is a great opportunity for your leadership.”

Committing to pay a Living Wage to all workers is one way that employers can help to close the gender and sexuality wealth gap and end discrimination when it comes to pay.

Thank you, Dave and Jen, for your truly inspiring leadership 💙💗🤍