By Jeremiah Ancheta 

In our previous article,“Cultivating a Trans-Inclusive Work Environment,” we noted what companies and employers can do to make their workplace more trans-inclusive. However, those who have transitioned may find themselves confused as to what they should do and how to approach their employers about being transgender. This article provides suggestions on how to proceed in the workplace post-transition.

Careful Consideration

Many of those who have transitioned have likely already looked into their conditions and social context, but this guide may still be helpful for some.

Before revealing your transition to anyone in the workplace, it is important to consider the material conditions and context of how you are situated. For instance, consider these questions:

• What is the general attitude towards transgender people in the state or city that I work in?
• What are the relevant transgender discrimination laws in the state that I work in?
• What are the relevant transgender discrimination policies in my particular workplace?

Asking these questions is essential to determining whether or not to reveal your transition at all. This is a personal decision, and one that may affect your situation in the workplace. The Cloud Dancers Foundation founder, Robina Asti, often talked about leaving her financial job in New York City during her transition because it was not acceptable at her place of work. Robina ended up leaving her job and working at the makeup counter at Bloomingdales following her transition. 

While times have changed since Robina transitioned, there is still progress to be made. In accordance with Title VII as well as the 2020 Supreme Court Decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, it is federally prohibited for employers to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. However, transgender discrimination is still a problem in the workplace and unfortunately, some caution may be needed post-transition (See our post “Cultivating a Trans-Inclusive Work Environment” which briefly goes into the issues that transgender people face at work).

Finding an Ally

Finding  an ally to offer support during or after a transition is advised by the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy and political lobbying organization. This step may differ on a case-by-case basis, such as whether you remain in a job post-transition or leave to find another job. Your decision and ability to find a co-worker ally will also depend on the existing relationship you have with co-workers.

If you know a co-worker who is strongly supportive of transgender rights, then you might consider revealing your transition to that person (and keeping it confidential between them at first, if one so wishes) to have an ally.

However, not everyone knows their co-workers very well. Research the transgender discrimination policies for your workplace. If you feel protected, you  may look into contacting the Human Resources department. As the Human Rights Campaign advises, “you may come out to your organization’s management or human resources representatives in order to create an action plan for transitioning at your workplace. If your organization has a coming out guide or non-discrimination policy, consult it for advice specific to your workplace.”

Updating Personal Information

The Human Rights Campaign also suggests updating personal information once you are comfortable doing so. If you found an ally in management or human resources, update personal information within the workplace such as name, pronouns, or official identification documents. The HRC also suggests looking into your workplace insurance policy to check for any changes that may occur post-transition.

Coming Out

With an ally and knowledge about your workplace’s policies, hopefully you will feel protected from transgender discrimination. At that point, the next step would be to update personal information and consider fully coming out to everyone in the workplace.

How this is done is ultimately up to each individual. A transgender person may speak to their co-workers privately to tell them, or they can choose to have group meetings and reveal their transition. 

Of course, one should be quite sure that they have full support of their transition by upper management and human resources in case there are any negative reactions during or after one’s reveal. Any discrimination that occurs during or after reveal may be reported to higher ups so that the proper procedure can take place dealing with such issues.