Community members will now have the opportunity to declare their sexual orientation and gender identity in the I COUNT Queen’s Equity Census.

“The inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identify signifies the university’s recognition of the historical discrimination against these groups, and is a sign of our commitment to creating a discrimination-free workplace,” says Jill Christie, Coordinator, Data Management and Administration, Equity Office. “There are groups outside of the four traditionally designated groups – women, visible minorities, Aboriginal peoples, and persons with disabilities – who have been discriminated against in ways that limit their full and active participation in the workforce, namely lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, two-spirited, transgender, transsexual and gender variant people.”

This month, the I COUNT Queen’s Equity Census will be sent via email to all active employees at the university. It will give everyone the opportunity to self-identify in the areas of sexual orientation and gender identity, revise their previous self-identification if their status has changed, and participate in the employment equity listserv.

The information will help the university identify areas where changes in policies, practices and systems are likely to be most effective in achieving fairness in equity and employment. It will also allow the Equity Office to compile workforce representation figures and develop and monitor employment equity programs.

The responses from the questionnaire will be kept confidential and retained for employment equity purposes by the Equity Office. Identifying oneself as a designated group member on the census is voluntary; however, a high rate of participation will better enable the Equity Office to recognize and remove barriers that may exist in the hiring, training, promotion, and retention of all employees.

For more information about the census visit the Equity Office website.