The British navy is keen to make the list of the best employers for LGBT people. It is therefore offering specialised training in sexual identity, gender-neutral toilets and gender-neutral uniforms. In addition, there is an idea to issue different identity cards for those employees who change their gender, The Times reports.
The Royal Navy is considering issuing multiple identity cards for those who change their gender, writes The Times. At the moment, recruits are only allowed to have one identity card with their name on it and a photo. Such a card gives a person access to the defence ministry’s infrastructure.
The term “gender fluidity” means that a person can change the idea of their gender over time. With this in mind, the British authorities are prepared to give their employees several identity cards with different genders.
But experts fear that the more identity cards a person has, the more likely he or she will lose one of them. For example, former navy chief Lord Alan West admits: “What worries me is that the navy is probably not strong enough at the moment. More money needs to be spent on it, we need to get the right weapon systems. There is a war going on in Europe. I would like the people who are focused on creating a lot of passes for gender-fluid personnel to perhaps focus on making sure that the Royal Navy is strong enough to defend our country.”
This information comes courtesy of the UK Navy’s bid to be included in Stonewall’s top 100 employers list, which is compiled by the LGBT rights charity. Last year, the Navy was ranked 71st on the top 100 employers list.
And these documents show how the UK Navy is tackling discrimination. In particular, recruits are given lessons where they are taught about “sexual orientation and gender identity, and they discuss each in detail, including bisexuality, transgenderism and non-binary gender.”
In addition, all naval personnel attend a compulsory course every two years taught by a qualified counsellor. He discusses, among other things, how “unconscious biases shape the way they affect other people”. Navy career counsellors are also trained in gender identity and unconscious bias.
The Navy has abandoned the use of gender categories in its maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave policies. For example, the term “serviceman(s)” is now used there, and with the pronoun “they” and “partner” instead of “husband” or “wife”.
When a member of the armed forces discloses that he or she is transgender, “they should be treated in accordance with their stated gender in all respects”, including uniforms, living conditions and locker rooms, the Navy said in a statement. They also said they now have gender-neutral toilets “wherever possible”, including on ships and submarines.
The navy also has a gender-neutral policy on uniforms, accommodation, use of pronouns in documents and positions. There, they want to make the non-binary terminology handbook a “digital resource for all personnel”. “We aim to attract, retain and develop the best talent with a wide range of skills and experience and to create an environment where everyone feels included,” The Times quoted a Royal Navy spokesperson as saying.
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