MAY 2018 • FOGHORN 15 FOGHORNFOCUS: HUMAN RESOURCES good to hear those voices, and stories, it is also on individuals to educate themselves when it comes to areas of growth.  The Internet is an amazing tool for addressing difficult questions and provides a plethora of information when it comes to understanding gender and gender dynamics. Each indi- vidual must play a role when it comes to learning about terms, experiences, and labels they are unfamiliar with. F i n a l l y, o n e m u s t recognize, change, and stand against harmful behavior.  It is not enough to simply acknowledge the need for gender equity in the workplace; each person must exemplify this in everyday actions.  No matter one’s role in the workplace, it is the responsibility of everybody to address destructive behavior. Advocacy is vitally important when working towards inclusivity. Policies and Protections When considering ways to make the workplace more equitable when it comes to gender, folks must also un- derstand the protections that currently exist.  Federal law prohibits discrimination based on someone’s sex. As previously mentioned, someone’s sex may or may not align with their gender identity. In other words, there are no federal protections when it comes to transgen- der, non-binary, and other gender variant folks.  The law only protects discrimina- tion based on sex—if you are male or female. States may have laws that are more com- prehensive when it comes to protection based on gender identity. The Human Rights Campaign has a complete list of the laws, rights, and protec- tions for folks based on the state that they live in.  It is key