Virgin Atlantic’s pilots, crews and ground staff can now wear whichever of its uniforms they feel most comfortable in, regardless of the male or female design of its burgundy trousers or red skirt.
The airline has announced a gender identity policy that lets its staff choose which of the Vivienne Westwood-designed outfits they wear to work, saying this is ”no matter their gender, gender identity or gender expression”.
This follows the relaxation around the personal tattoo policy and will also start optional pronoun badges for crew and passengers, who can request them at check-in to ensure people use their preferred pronouns.
Its ticketing systems will also allow people whose passports have gender-neutral markers to travel using those gender codes and the title Mx.
Virgin is due to start mandatory inclusivity training, and initiatives for hotels in destinations such as the Caribbean, where some people have faced more barriers.
Michelle Visage, one of the judges on the hit reality TV show Ru Paul’s Drag Race, was brought in by Virgin to promote its policy. Michelle said: “People feel empowered when they are wearing what best represents them, and this gender identity policy allows people to embrace who they are.”
