Blog Article 2: Katie Marsh
I’m Katie (she/her), a Manager working at PwC in our Consulting practice. I work as part of our Risk and Compliance Transformation group, working with financial services clients to help them effectively manage risk, navigate and comply with their regulatory requirements, and enable transformations to help them better serve their customers and society.
I’ve worked for PwC for 7 years, and publicly came out as a trans woman in 2021. I’ve become increasingly active in the community as frankly, there just aren’t that many trans people who are out in the workplace! Coming out as trans has massively improved my outlook on life, so I want to help educate allies, be a beacon for my trans and non-binary colleagues, and elevate other parts of the LGBTQ+ community.
Why I commit my time to diversity, equality, equity and inclusion initiatives and Shine:
Coming out as trans is a nerve-wracking proposition; while it’s ultimately a huge step forward for you, it can feel like an all-or-nothing affair where you need to tell everyone about your new name, pronouns and appearance, all at once!
I came out to myself in May 2020, so while lockdown isolation helped me to experiment with my gender presentation while staying hidden from others, it also made it really difficult to reach out for help and meet other trans people.
I’d questioned my gender in the past but never really explored it before then, as I felt that I would be ‘intruding’ on ‘actual’ trans people’s space. In my own head, I didn’t fit the stereotypical story of “I always knew” – because I hadn’t always known! Like many other trans people, I only truly figured out my identity in adulthood. I’m so grateful to all the trans people across the world who have shared their stories and shown me that actually, there are countless ways to be transgender. Without that community spirit of sharing and support, I would have really struggled to take the step of coming out and being who I really am.
Remembering my old self and knowing that there’s many people out there who are closeted or questioning, I’m determined to ‘pay it forward’ and share my own story. If it helps even one person, I’ll feel like I’ve made a difference. There’s a rising tide of anti-trans rhetoric and transphobia in the UK and around the world, that is grounded in hatred and amplified by ignorance. I am visible and outspoken to combat this and help people understand what being transgender is really like.
Some of my highlights since coming out include:
- Being interviewed by Hemione Hudson (PwC UK’s Head of Audit) about my experiences as a trans woman, as part of PwC’s International Women’s Day 2022 video series;
- Being a member of the PwC delegation to Trans in the City’s 2021 and 2022 gala events;
- Being part of various panels and Q&A sessions at PwC to improve trans visibility in the workplace and let allies know how they can help;
- Being part of the Trans and Non-Binary Working Group within PwC’s Shine LGBTQ+ network, improving our group’s outreach and achieving co-operation with our firm’s wider gender balance efforts;
- Working with senior leaders to review and refresh PwC’s internal guidance and policies on transitioning in the workplace, to help the firm even better support its trans and non-binary employees;
- Being one of PwC’s #Inspirational50 in 2022.
What I want to see in the future:
- Solidarity between trans people, the wider LGBTQ+ community and all our allies, to fight the attempted rollback of trans rights, trans inclusion and gender-affirming healthcare.
- A focus on intersectionality – understanding that the rights of all minority groups are interlinked, and that by standing together we can be stronger and more effectively achieve positive change for all.
- Every workplace being somewhere to feel safe, comfortable and true to yourself without fear.