Transgender And The Workplace

[Jabez]

Obviously this is more targeted at the trans members here, but there may be others who can input. I'm just curious for those of you who are trans and 'out' at your place of work (whether it is by choice or because you are transitioning in the midst of working there) how has your work experience been? I'm curious what companies are good to work for when you're trans and which ones are not so good.

For instance, I work at Walmart and although that company sucks on so many levels, they have been great about my transition. My management team has been supportive in everything, including the switch of pronouns and I've even been promoted since coming out there.

So what's your story?

[hidden]

Job market sucks, trans or not. Took me a year and a half to get into McDonalds. That was only because my sis worked there and talked to the manager. This was 2005 before the economy crashed!

It probably depends on the work environment. At McDonalds, everyone is immature so...

As far as I know, there isn't any legal way for them to do anything to you (hiring/firing) if you are trans.

I have never gone trans. No way for me to come close to passing without surgery... That and my parents would probably kill me if they knew!

And that includes one where the position was elected xD

I hear ya. I tried school elections and I was the only one to ever vote for me... I came close to becoming vice pres for my High School's NHS. I got 3 votes! (1 was mine). That was the most votes I had ever gotten! The vice pres. had 4 votes! The pres had 18 votes. Most votes became pres, 2nd most was vice pres. Needless to say, I gave up on elections.

gl finding a job! I am getting my BS in Biology this year so I will hopefully be finding better enployment.

[Guest Baby Rina]

I came out at my workplace in December of 2010 and told my manager that after the Christmas holiday I'd like to start taking hormones and actually begin to transition... It apparently was not a large surprise to her or any of my coworkers, heh. She asked why I was waiting until after Christmas and I reminded her much Christmas is a hot button subject to me and that I really didn't think tossing hormonal imbalances on top of that would be a good idea if I wanted to keep my job.

Fast forward to the other day and the reason why I opted to make a post on this one.

Last Sunday some customer called in and made an anonymous complaint to corporate that some man was working and wearing 3 inch fake nails and had on makeup like eyeshadow and lipstick and it looked disgusting. Being the only 'man' at our store it was pretty evident it was aimed at me. The District Manager who caught the email sent down one to the store pretty much saying to cut that out and that it was against the dress code. My manager took me to the back and explained that too me said that she still supported me but if I want to keep my job I have to do what they say on the clock. If there's one thing I don't like it's being told no.

So I went home that night and dug out my handbook and actually read it for the first time. Oddly enough it doesn't list any rules at all concerning makeup, most of the dress code is quite vague but says to keep a 'professional appearance' which I will agree that 3 inch nails and lime green eyeshadow didn't convey... I had never actually worn them to work, only foundation and on a few occasions when I had pressing things outside of work 1 inch nails with french tips. On the other hand in all of its information concerning discrimination it lists Gender Identity as something that I cannot be discriminated against and that got me to thinking. I didn't get too long to think though as the District Manager came into the store the next day. When he was done with his discussion with the manager on duty concerning some shelving changes I asked to speak with him privately, so we went to the back and I told him about my being trans and that the complaint was bogus.

At first he didn't really understand what was going on, ever notice they always put the biggest boneheads in the places where they can do the littlest damage, management. He asked who all knew I was trans and I was like uh... it's a small town, I've worn makeup for a month or so and heels since October... gonna guess like everyone? He suggested that I try to keep it to myself as best as I can so I don't upset anymore customers so I responded that I have been on hormones now for 4 and a half months and there is now a B cup under my shirt that is still growing and how long he thinks I can keep THAT to myself. I swear to god he didn't even breath for the next 10 seconds and was completely motionless as he tried to think of a way to handle that, long enough for me to think he might be starting a stroke or something. Eventually he came up with the idea that as long as I keep my makeup low key and don't try to flaunt it everything should be fine... which is exactly what I was doing in the first place. I wear foundation and powder to work to even out my complexion and aside from the fact that I have a mole on my face that disappears and some dry skin blotches that go away you'd never really notice.

I am 90% sure I know who made that anonymous complaint, and she has not liked me ever since I would not let her return an open and obviously used product without a receipt per company policy. So I would imagine that whether or not she was anti Trans she would have made that complaint just to try to get me fired.

[KittenAB]

Location, location, location, appearance ....

The four things that influence getting hiring the most. I can get a job in any city, honestly, I could pass for female before I even started dressing as one. LOL But I also pick where I apply based on the level of business they do. Research is annoying but can speed up the process a lot, but then there's the appearance factor. The appearance of many TGs tends to make it harder to find work because businesses think they have to keep appearances up to maintain a "status quo". So while they don't ask, if it's too easy to tell then they will often pass up the TG simply because of that. Then there's the whole "affirmative action" crap that actually made it worse, since now the laws state they have a quota to fill on minorities (TGs are included in the gay group) those positions are rarely empty, and companies try to avoid lawsuits by not hiring more than they have to.

Being TG actually makes life very hard for most, it's not easy or safe by any stretch. I changed clothing styles while I was living in Indianapolis .... THAT was hard, because they all knew and most of them there are idiotic bigots. I didn't ask for special privileges, or even special treatment, yet even my boss at the time was a pure dickhead about it. Since then though I have had no problems, because most people can't tell.

[RockinBaby]

The pronoun nonsense drove me up the wall, when I came out. WHether they did it on purpose or not I really don't know but it stifled my growth inside and amde me constantly check myself. Being on cross hormones when you are beginning is hard enough but then being told not to use the ladies room when you are dressed as a woman was the pits.

I left as soon as I could and now am a trucker and live by myself in diapers. Love the feel of cloth between my legs it is just so cozy. I am a female by surgery now and live the way I choose but it is still hard out there.

[Bettypooh]

Just telling my old friend that I worked for what my future was going to be got me fired, even though it didn't happen right away and I never presented the least bit Trans anywhere near anything job-related and wasn't going to. I made it clear that I cared for him and his business so much that I would never endanger either in any way. And of course another reason was given for the firing so the real issue didn't have to be addressed- all that mattered to me was that I was no longer employed and had to suffer the wrong anyway.

One has to decide what one wants, and what one will put up with to get it. When you can no longer hide your true self and live, you choose living and try to make a way for it to continue. It rarely works the way you want it to and for some it doesn't work. I am sad for those. Sometimes it is supposed to work but doesn't.

For several years two friends of mine have been themselves openly with Wal-Mart, working floor positions where they are visible to all continuously. One has transitioned but doesn't "pass" terribly well, the other is openly non-op Trans and "passes" fairly well but that is not her goal- she is who she is unapologetically. Both have encountered the 'glass ceiling' and will never advance from where they are now and they know it. They hate their jobs but they appreciate that they have a job that keeps their bills paid and lets them be themselves so they tolerate it. Another TG friend is involved with this company at corporate level and has been one of the main motivating factors in this recent policy change. She does not go to great lengths to hide herself when she has to meet corporate staff, but she does not go blatantly as a "she" because she is OK with that. It is a personal choice. Like I was, she prefers part of her public life lived more androgynously, knowing that it will help make life in general go smoother. The rest of her life she gives no quarter- she is who she is and that's all- get over it!

TG's are almost always relegated to the lowest of roles in life. Those few who aren't usually either work for themselves out of the public eye, have made a successful career before publicly transitioning and so have something already built to help them, or "pass" so well their total stealth prevents any problems from happening before they start. Those like Abrera and me do not have any of those advantages, which makes it nearly impossible to get a start on life as it should be for us. Being TG is about as tough as life gets. Our every decision becomes a thousand times more important than the same decision made by non-TG's who will not be judged as harshly as we are over the very same things. That isn't right but it is how it is, and with the efforts of many it is now beginning to change for the better.

Just as with the most of us wanting to separate ourselves from the ABDL's who do things that "give us all a bad name", we have to remember that we have that same obligation to each other as TG's- what we do will affect the rest of us whether we want it to or not. Yes, that restricts us from being ourselves as completely as we want, but in the overall scheme of things we will all do better if we follow that path. I dearly wish that my own transition were possible and complete, but it cannot be for me. That doesn't not change who I am inside but it keeps me alive better this way so I accept it. Someday things may change- either that 'preventer' will be gone or the choice I now have will go away and I will have to move along the path of life that I am supposed to be on anyway, even though the results will be unlivable for me. Until then I simply remain, stagnated but alive, and able to deal with life as it comes well enough to get by. It is enough for me for now and I hope all can find at least this much comfort in their life. It is one of several courses which can work and it is up to each of us to find our own course and follow it. The world is slowly getting better for us as a whole even if not for all individuals, and there is good and hope to be found in that. Cling to it and keep going on.

Bettypooh

[iCrinkle2]

By choice Been out since january 2011 at work

-Paige a.k.a iCrinkle2