Transparent: Shedding light on workplace barriers for the trans community

The trans community faces an unemployment rate of 80%—the highest within the LGBTIQ collective. Job-seeking is particularly challenging for trans individuals, who often also bear the stigma that permeates other aspects of their lives.

On average, trans people spend 3.5 years unemployed, severely limiting their opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Transparentes was created to tackle the pressing issue of social barriers that the trans community faces when attempting to enter the workforce in Spain while also advocating for greater employment opportunities.

Transparentes captures the loneliness, abandonment, and uncertainty experienced by unemployed members of the trans community. At the same time, it serves as a wake-up call to sensitize companies about the value of embracing diverse workplaces and proposing solutions in this area.

In partnership with REDI, the José Antonio Llorente Foundation created a communication strategy to tackle the challenges raised by the Fundación 26 de Diciembre. This initiative aims to give the trans community a platform to share their experiences and highlight their realities with both the business community and society as a whole.

The project was unveiled as part of the International Transgender Day of Visibility at an event held in front of the employment office in Plaza Pablo Ruiz Picasso in Madrid. At this event, an art installation featuring 15 clear chairs was showcased. Each chair displayed the name and length of unemployment of a transgender person whose story it represented.

At the event, participants shared “Transparently” stories about their identities and personal struggles in the job search process. The empty seats were symbolically placed in front of an employment office to raise awareness among companies about the importance of fostering diverse workplaces.

The campaign’s communication efforts revolved around a central audiovisual piece published on Fundación 26 de Diciembre’s YouTube channel. The video depicted the “Transparent” stories of trans individuals, calling for awareness of this reality to ensure they are visible to the professional world.

The Transparentes project addresses a neglected reality. While there have been significant strides in LGBTQ+ rights, the specific issue of workplace discrimination and unemployment faced by the trans community remains largely overlooked.
It sheds light on how a challenging process for anyone becomes absolutely disheartening for trans individuals, who face stigma in many other areas of their lives.

Labor exclusion negatively impacts their self-esteem and emotional health, leaving a significant portion of the community deeply affected by extreme social exclusion.

Transparentes has reached 68.7 million people, generating 119 media mentions in Spain, with notable coverage from Europa Press and Cinco Días.

Fundation social media channels received a positive response, garnering over 11,000 views and reaching approximately 75.7K people.

The Transparentes project was recognized as one of the 100 best ideas of the year by Actualidad Económica, a supplement distributed with EL MUNDO. It won the social category at the Premios Impacte, organized by the College of Marketing and Communication of Catalonia. Additionally, it was recognized in the communication category at the AEF Awards, presented by the Spanish Association of Foundations.