Last we week we unveiled new signage for our public toilet facilities as part of our building wide commitment to diversity.
The Young Vic celebrates and the values the diversity of individuals and is committed to creating an environment where all staff, artists and visitors are treated with respect and dignity. We continue to work towards the removal of unfair or discriminatory practices within the company and actively engage with different groups in our community in order to bring about positive change.
As such, we feel very strongly about the discrimination against transgender people which in some American states has resulted in passing bills that police the use of bathrooms for transgender and gender nonconforming people. Gender segregated bathrooms are often a site of harassment for those whose gender expression doesn't fit neatly with societal norms and, with the safety and convenience of trans men, women and people with non-binary genders in mind, we recognise that people should have safe access to our toilet facilities.
We used the Silvia Riviera Law Project's public resource Toilet Training which details key problems with gender segregated bathrooms and advice on improving your facilities. The Young Vic aims to be a trans and non-binary inclusive space and by acknowledging our changes we hope to open the conversation across London’s arts spaces.
Beyond the bathroom signage, with the advice of members of the local LGBTQI+ community we have also revised the gender question on our job application form to allow individuals to self-define their gender identity. We started with:
And ended with:
We continue to engage with LGBTQI+ groups in Lambeth and Southwark as part of our Two Boroughs Project led by our Taking Part team and we hope that our work in our local neighbourhood, alongside the rest of the Young Vic programme will continue to bring these people’s stories and journeys to a wider audience.
We care about what you think and are we appreac. If you have any comments or further questions, please email nastasiatryphonos@youngvic.org. We remain committed to LGBTQI+ equality and continue to work towards a more inclusive, open space generally. We hope that other arts organisations will also take steps to make their buildings more welcoming.
