Travelling for work, risk assessing when visibly Queer.
by Emily Hamilton, Executive Director of Trans in the City
Throughout my career I have been able to travel globally, to deliver what I do in many different countries and cultures. Until 2019, such journeys were easy to plan, required nothing more than anyone else - distance to the airport, local places to eat, safety of drinking the water, obvious crime hot spots. The usual things. But after 2019 when I came out as Bi and Trans this changed drastically.
The world is getting more and more polarised as largely right wing 'populist' movements take hold; anyone from a visible minority - whether that be the LGBTQIA+ community or those who are observant in their faith run the risk of abuse, official attention and violence.
Last week I had to travel to Budapest for a conference, Budapest is a city I had long wanted to visit; as a keen historian, there is lots to see there but recent moves against the LGBTQIA+ community made this a very inhospitable place to be. On landing at the airport the usual advertisements on the airbridge - which seem almost universally elsewhere to be taken up by HSBC(!) instead had the fairly innocuous looking statement 'Family Friendly Hungary' - with a weblink that takes you to a site promoting the 'traditional family' - the woman's place as a mother and wife, and the obvious point that 'family' does not mean people like me. This is one of the ways that simple statements go over the head of the casual traveller, but place a flag for folks like me that we are less than welcome. It's aligned to the same ideologies that spawned the 'Kinder, Kirche, Küche' movement of 2nd and 3rd Reich Germany.
Hungary is of course a member of the EU, and as such my identity is not criminalised there - which makes an outright refusal to travel less of an option. There are of course 65 Countries where being same sex attracted is flat out illegal, and in 12 of them there is the possibility of the death penalty, in 14 being Transgender is specifically criminalised - but all 65 would consider someone with intersecting identities like mine as unlawful.
But criminalisation is only one consideration - many states effectively criminalise my community by prohibition of going about our lawful business - using toilets, seeking medial assistance, securing legal protection when abused or assaulted. Many US states now fit into this space - making visiting parts of the US virtually a no-go. For example assuming I fell ill or were injured in a car accident, several states now allow medical staff to refuse to treat me as a matter of 'conscience' - Europe is a little better but even in countries with broadly favourable ratings, the pressure to remove rights from the LGBTQIA community is very real. With the Rainbow map showing as green countries scoring as little as 53% against a set of criteria - the missing 47% mean very real issues for LGBTQIA travellers.
So what do we do when we want to or need to travel - we risk assess, and we do so carefully and at a greater depth than our Cisgender, Hetrosexual colleagues. Risk Assessment is something of a career crossover for me, I have been published (under my old name) three times in this field, including in two source texts for international standards - so it's a bit of a busman's holiday.
Fundamentally (very fundamentally) risk assessment is a factor of two variables; Probability and Impact.
This is the first important point to make. Important because it addresses a couple of things - the first is the argument sometimes advanced from people within our own community who say 'Oh, I've been there and I had no problems' - which may be a factor of their 'passing privilege' [a horrible but sadly real concept, in which their identity is more difficult to parse for an observer] or simply that they got lucky, it's also important for those within organisations who check in after an event and take comfort that everything passed off smoothly - without considering the compromises and additional stress and trauma that the travel caused the individual. It is true that in most cases the probability of issues may be low or medium low (if you're plotting a summary risk profile) - but taken alone it does not consider the impact, which can often be catastrophic.
Take as an example my recent trip to Hungary. I estimate I spent some 5 or 6 hours researching and undertaking my risk assessment. My conclusion was that the probability risk of issues (if I remained in the hotel, did not do sightseeing or walk about) would be low or medium-low. The impact, however was high. Were I to fall ill (and I am currently wheezing my way through my second bout of Covid - possibly picked up on the plane home) and required primary or secondary medical care, my gender would have been wholly unrecognised and I would have faced being treated as male in a hostile environment [something being pushed for here in the UK right now]. Were I to be assaulted by someone, I had no hate crime protections; indeed there are reports of anti LGBTQIA crimes being actively ignored, or the victim being cited as having 'provoked' the attack. The assessment looked at a number of scenarios - far beyond the simple matter of being misgendered and treated poorly - which is something I have to deal with constantly.
So what are my steps for risk assessing - in broad terms?
Identify the venue you are staying in, is the hotel group international, with defined standards for LGBTQIA+ inclusion? In this instance I was in a Marriott, which I have found to be pretty good in this area. If your event is held in a charming, locally owned establishment it may be more difficult to be sure of a safe welcoming stay. As a general rule, especially for LGBT couples travelling, an international chain is a better bet.
Where is the venue? Some very nice establishments can be in distinctly 'difficult' areas - look on the net for the specific area of the city, see if there are news reports about crime, disorder or political activity. Cities are not homogeneous. Paris is lovely, but I would not necessarily stay in a hotel near the Gare Du Nord or in the Pigalle. For Trans travellers especially, the link between us and sex workers in many cisgender people's minds means that we often fall victim to the same levels of violence, and may find ourselves propositioned with refusal resulting in abuse or violence. This is especially true in venues where lots of stag parties and the like tend to happen - which includes a number of cities in central and eastern Europe.
What does your own government travel advice say about the country? In my case I am a dual national, and travel exclusively on my Irish Passport (Proudly) so I look on the British Government FCO Travel Advice [which includes elements for LGBTQIA+ travellers]. I also look at the Irish Government equivalent from the Department for Foreign Affairs. I'd also consider looking at other government's views - especially those with a strong international reputation for Human Rights. When I went to Hungary, the note about my last day in country made me very careful indeed about not leaving the hotel, even though I had 'free time' - incitement for political violence is not something I take lightly
Making sure I have an exit plan - this usually involves having cash on hand. Whilst credit cards are usually fine - for me, they all (obviously) have my name and some have my title on them [proudly Ms] - I cannot be sure they will work, or may be confiscated for reasons of my identity not being respected. Cash talks and can usually get you away from a bad situation. What are my exit options from the country - hired car? - Will my Driving Licence be accepted? Flight - to where? Making sure you don't go from frying pan to fire. Embassy support; making sure you know where your country's embassy is for assistance, and having the details written down, so you're not reliant on technology to find them.
Review the itinerary - are you required to go to other places during your stay for activities? In my case there was a meal at a local restaurant. In this case I used Google Street View to assess the journey there - looking to see, do I have to pass a lot of bars and nightlife venues (a big no-no). Will you be expected to undertake any 'cultural activities' - which may involve an exclusionary culture.
There are more things you can and should review - like safety at airports and travel hubs, which in my experience can be flashpoints, as people feel less accountable because of the transitory nature of the environment (4 of my 5 incidents of Hate Crime violence have happened in transport hubs). I paid out of pocket to travel business - to speed though security - which is also often traumatic for trans travellers and to have access to a lounge which provides a little more security and privacy. Airports are stressful for many people but for LGBTQIA Travellers they can be even worse because of the risk of 'official' prejudice coming to the fore.
In summary - travelling while Queer is EXHAUSTING. In the context of business travel, organisations can and must do more to consider their staff. Excluding people is not the right answer (we offer a lot of value!) - the values of a business should run through such considerations like a stick of rock, and I am fortunate to work for an organisation with strong values that recognised the flaw this time and gave me support.
In the context of leisure travel, the same considerations apply, but you can do well by using a travel agency that does some of the legwork - I can shamelessly plug Blank Canvas Travel - as they are Proud Sponsors of QuinsPride of which I am chair. They ensure that the venues they promote are LGBTQIA friendly and that safety is at the top of the planning consideration.
For those outside of the community - a personal request. Don't ignore the impact column of the risk assessment. Whilst it is lovely that you offer to support and escort your friends, ask yourself 'what will I do' if and when something kicks off? From experience people freeze, they don't know what to do, and in another country you risk being arrested or mistreated for stepping in. It's just not that simple.
If your company is considering how you embed LGBTQIA+ safety into policy and practice - and especially for those of us in the Trans+ community who are often most visibly minoritised - then have a chat with us at Trans in the City - we can advise and support with real world experience in some of the largest global organisations.
Travelling while Queer is hard, but there are bright spots - I had a good conference, and spent time with some fabulous colleagues. I'd just have rather been calmer, more relaxed and able to enjoy my surroundings. Like everyone else.