Applying as ‘Out’: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Still, I recommend it.

You are writing a cover letter or grant proposal, trying to pitch a book, or hot damn, just want to take somebody out on a date, and you are gay or trans and sitting there thinking to yourself, Do I tell them? For some trans people, concealing transness, whether because they can go stealth or because they have weighed the cost of passing as the wrong gender and still can and think it is worth it, seems plausible; while for others, this option is not even possible. Although I cannot stealth, I have fully transitioned socially, legally, and physically, and this blog entry is going to be an insider’s composite wisdom on how workplaces have reacted to me at various stages in my transition.

Coming out while Working

Whether you are coming out as a new gay or later as trans, you may think that your coworkers are going to be happy for you and celebrate you, but they are not. If they did not know already, you are probably going to get fired. Have a new job lined up. Same goes for entering a new relationship if you started the workplace as a single queer person. Have a new job lined up if you plan to tell them that you have entered a new queer relationship.

Changing Names while Working

Sometimes, it may seem safer to start in the closet in climates such as ours. It’s not. When people find out (and they will) that you have a preferred name or different gender identity, they will start harassing and bullying you based on information associated with the wrong gender.

I have entered the workplace under a former name and a preferred name. When I started with my preferred name, it was more just that the employer was concerned that it was too slow going for me to be always correcting customers and vendors with the saying, “Me llamo es Gene. Mis pronombres son ellos/aquiellos.” The other employees were mostly okay or thought it fun and like working with a trans person was a trick of magic. When I started with the wrong name at another place then changed it, my fellow employees were insistent upon deadnaming and misgendering me. They would make excuses like, ‘oh, I forget,’ 'or ‘I’m sick,’ or ‘you have boobs, though, that’s so hard to remember with what I see in front of me,’ even the queer ones.

Physical/Legal Transition While Working

It’s worth it, but they will fire you since they now cannot legally get away with misgendering and deadnaming you and must actually change their behavior.

Applying While Out

You are mostly respected if you get hired. However, there are bizarrely different standards for you than other people. It’s really hard to find work as a transsexual, and I’m not sure if federal law is really what is holding them back, but transphobia.