Footscray transgender activist Melissa Griffiths has been nominated as the 2017 Victorian LGBTI Person of the Year.
The 2017 GLOBE Community Awards, to be held this Saturday, will recognise Victorian LGBTI business and industry leaders for their impact in the community.
Ms Griffiths was nominated for her work in championing transgender rights, particularly in the workplace.
She said she worked to raise awareness of issues in a way that would hopefully make the world a better place.
“I want to make the workplace more inclusive for transgender people,” she said. “It’s like a barrier between us and them; we’ve still got a way to go.”
Ms Griffiths said that while some workplaces offered supportive environments for transgender staff, others were less welcoming.
“These archaic attitudes still exist – it’s important to have appropriate training to cut out the gossip or questions that are clearly inappropriate.”
The 2017 GLOBE Community Awards will bring together about 450 volunteers, sports people, researchers and community groups.
GLOBE president David Micallef said that with the same-sex marriage postal survey under way, there had never been a more important time to celebrate successes and shine a light on unsung heroes.
