Game changing for everyone – International Transgender Day of Visibility

“We believe a diverse workforce brings unique experiences that help make our company stronger. No matter who you are or where you come from, Aussie Broadband will always be a safe place to come and be respected.” Aussie Broadband Company Statement

Today is International Transgender Day of Visibility. It’s a day to show your support for the trans community and the courage it takes to live openly. It also hopes to raise awareness about the discrimination that many trans and gender diverse people face on a daily basis. Here at Aussie Broadband, we’d like to mark the day by celebrating what visibility means to us:

Elise Skerke

I’m really happy because this is my first time celebrating TDoV as an out trans person. Despite being trans for 20 years, I’ve only recently made the decision to come out. This was a huge decision for me and I was worried about making other people feel uncomfortable.

My manager and colleagues have been completely supportive. This is new ground for them too. Although, I’m not the only transgender person at work, I was the first person to transition while working for Aussie Broadband.

So, we worked together on our transgender support policy to help make the transition easier for others. I’m proud to be part of that and hopefully by sharing my story, I can help others.

Earlier this month, I also celebrated my first public International Women’s Day. For me, this is really important because now I feel like I’m allowed to celebrate it. The best part of being visible is having the freedom to be myself. I love talking to people about fashion and complimenting other girls on their shows, or their hair. I’m just happy to finally be me.

Minnie Mizzi

Earlier this month I finally came out. At home, I’ve been out since 2019 but it took some time to bring it to the workplace. There’s lots of medical appointments and paperwork, and I still have a long way to go. So, I’m really thankful that my transition in the workplace was really smooth.

Our People and Culture team were extremely supportive and I was surprised at how quickly they were able to take me through everything. Having my identity reinforced in my workplace helps me feel confident to pursue my desired look and identity.

I feel it’s been really rewarding and fulfilling to have experienced this, which is why I wanted to share my experience.

Jen Sims

Being a transgender member of the Aussie Broadband team, I was already out when I joined the team. The great thing is, I’ve never had to explain who I am or why I am, they’ve just wholly accepted me as the nerdy tech girl that I am.

When I first came out, I was a volunteer in the CFA. The support from my captain was really wonderful. Despite having no experience in this area, to his credit he was just brilliant. So when I announced my big coming out, everyone was like “okay so Jen, girl, righto”, and that was it.

Last year, I joined the Aussie Broadband LGBTIQ working group. This helped me steer some internal work around supporting staff who wanted to be themselves, but they didn’t know where to start. As someone who has already come out as Transgender, I was aware of the challenges and issues that people from the Transgender community could potentially face. So, I was able to work with our People & Culture team to develop support for our Transgender employees. We now have 3 team members who are out, proud and fully supported by the entire Aussie Family.