The Problem of Transgender Marginalization and Exclusion: Critical Actions for Human Resource Development

Dialogue about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people remains undervalued in Human Resource Development (HRD). Most of HRD’s LGBT-related research has focused on sexual orientation, giving little attention to what differentiates transgender people—gender identity and/or expression that differs from assigned sex at birth. Transgender issues are particularly important to HRD practice, as practitioners increasingly aim to create diverse and inclusive organizations, but there is a lack of understanding about what it means or is like to be transgender. The purpose of this article was to situate transgender experiences as relevant and important issues for HRD, providing critical actions HRD scholars and practitioners might take to shape a more inclusive reality for transgender people in the workplace.