Trans Rights: Our 2018 Campaign

Trans and non-binary people come from every region of North America and around the world, from every racial and ethnic background and from every faith community.

Transgender people are our classmates, our co-workers, our neighbors and our friends. With 1.4 million adults with a lived transgender experience in the United States, and over 150,000 in Canada – and millions more around the world–chances are that you’ve met a transgender person, even if you don’t know it.

However, the transgender community in North America faces disproportionately higher rates of human rights discrimination. 2017 was called ‘the best year for trans people, and also the worst’ in the US and Canada. Electoral and political victories were achieved in both countries, from schools and healthcare to immigration and identification–policies affecting trans people are advancing every day. Yet glaring disparity continues for trans people when it comes to the most basic elements of life such as freedom from harassment and violence, having a safe place to live and finding a job.

The Campaign

This 2018 campaign came to be because when we learned about the disproportionately high rates of discrimination faced by the trans community, we knew we had to take action. As Lush staff requested the campaign, we decided to use the shared words and experiences of trans and non-binary staff to raise awareness and show our allyship. Our retail windows and digital spaces showed quotes from our trans and non-binary staff members and illuminated everyday struggles that our friends, neighbors and coworkers experience regularly—some were heartbreaking, some angering, but all of them illustrated the need for all of us to stand up for trans rights.

To support the movement for trans equality, we created a limited-edition bath melt called Inner Truth. All sales from this product were donated to North American organizations working to secure and advance trans rights, as well as our national partners: the National Center for Transgender Equality in the US and the Canadian Center for Gender and Sexual Diversity.

We also took this campaign as an opportunity to review company policies and procedures, and to make positive changes for our trans and non-binary employees and customers. This included creating a fact sheet to better explain staff medical benefits, a guide for managers with trans and non-binary employees, introducing gender neutral bathroom signs at all locations and removing gendered language from our website and shops.

The Outcome

The sales of Inner Truth Bath Melt raised $450,000 for our partners and the organizations working for trans rights.

75,000 “How to be a trans ally” booklets were given away in our shops. They continue to be available for download on our trans rights landing page, along with a glossary of terms, resources for trans folks and personal stories.