Melissa Griffiths is a transgender authority and advocate who lives in Melbourne. She is a diversity and inclusion consultant who has managed to get a gender identity policy introduced at various horse racing clubs including the BRC, MRC and VRC. She has consulted to Cricket Australia in development of their Guidelines for inclusion of Gender Diverse and Transgender People in Cricket. She is also currently a board director of Sydney based non-profit organisation JustSociale and previously a board director of Elder Rights Advocacy in Victoria.
She has overcome many challenges in her journey as a transgender female. She has had to overcome the obstacles of transitioning in the workplace; society’s attitudes towards her as well as the many challenges that come with living day-to-day as a transgender female.
A recognised Thought Leader who draws upon her experiences and expertise to consult to business and mentor individuals as well as speak out and be a voice for those in her community who do not have a voice.
Melissa is also a emcee/mistress of ceremonies as well as a much sought after inspirational/keynote speaker who is a recipient of an Australia Day Achievement Award. Melissa was the keynote speaker at RMIT for International Womens Day speaking about Organisational Gender Diversity and Policy. She also spoke at the National Employment Solutions Conference in 2018 presenting Transgender from All Angles talking about how all issues around a transgender person transitioning in the workplace.
Melissa speaks on a variety of topics including but not limited to:
- Belonging and Power of Connection
- Bullying, harassment intimidation and sexual harassment
- Confidence and Communication
- Diversity and Inclusion
- Effective Advocacy
- Gender Identity
- How to create an inclusive workplace for transgender people
- Leadership
- LGBTQIA+ issues/rights
- Organisational Gender Diversity and Policy
- Overcoming challenges
- Perspective
- Social media – The importance and value of it in a modern world.
- Transgender from all angles
Melissa is a also a media commentator raising awareness about bully, harassment, diversity, inclusion, and making workplaces more inclusive for transgender people. She is regularly interviewed by media and for various media publications including being on the front cover of Sofya Style Magazine in the UK in 2018 as well being featured in the popular magazine – MINDFOOD in October 2019. Melissa also is a freelance journalist who writes articles for various online publications and websites including channel nine.
Melissa was interviewed in 2020 for online TV show The Informer and previously been featured on ABC News in 2018 and on TV show Studio 10 in 2017. She is regularly interviewed on radio or for various podcasts including for Nova Entertainment.
In 2019 Melissa received an Australia Day Achievement Award as well as the Rex Karmaveer Global Fellowship and Karmaveer Chakra Award instituted by ICONGO & the UN from India. She was a finalist in the 2019 Australian LGBTI Awards in the Hero Category and a finalist in 2018 Womens Agenda Women in Leadership Awards for Agenda Setter of the year. Melissa completed the first ever LGBTI Leadership Program in 2018 and was a finalist as LGBTI person of the year in the 2017 Victorian LGBTI Awards.
She is a brave, courageous, strong and resilient person who has become a Leader in her own right who draws upon her experiences to #ChooseToChallenge to make the world a better place.
