Thursday, October 12, 2017

Transgender Success Stories

There are so many success stories in our community and some have also made it financially, one such person is Martine Rothblatt who transitioned and is a billionaire. You might never have heard of her but if I say Sirius XM radio?

Well she founded Sirius XM radio.

There is another wealthy trans woman who has transitioned…
Transformed: The Credit Suisse director known as Pippa and Philip
An investment bank director and champion of non-binary gender identities talks to Financial News about coming out at a large institution
Financial News
By Pips Bunce and Becky Pritchard
October 2, 2017

[…]
Coming out in the office

I decided to come out at work about three and a half years ago and for me, this was a big deal.

I’d reached a point in my life where I thought, It’s really silly me hiding this, why am I putting on this facade and keeping all this hidden at work? I knew that I had a supportive firm and an amazing manager, and I had the feeling that it wasn’t going to be an issue.

Back then, close personal friends at work knew. I introduced it on social events, going to fancy dress parties or sometimes I’d do things after work, and tell people 'Oh, Phil is coming along as Pippa.' Then when I felt more comfortable, I chose to ramp it up by bringing this into the everyday corporate world. It was a little scary.

I guess my biggest concern was how I would be accepted and what people would think of me, especially for those that did not understand the different trans identities.

I spoke to our diversity and inclusion group to give them a heads up. They had never come across someone that was gender fluid. They were very supportive, but it was a journey. They needed to get up to speed to understand that trans is an umbrella term and is not just about those that wish to transition.
[…]
So, I think the thing is to be confident and try and get support internally or externally. Reach out to some of the ally networks, LGBT committees or external groups for support and advice on how to approach it, and what your options are. Don’t underestimate the positive impact coming out can have — it’s an amazing thing.
Good advice for anyone coming out at work.

It helps when you work for a company that is supportive, it removes one more hurdle that we face when we transition.

I remember my coming out at work. After I told the HR manager her first words were “They are having a 30% sale on dresses at Syms!” You couldn’t get any more supportive than that.

At Fantasia Fair this year they are honoring Martine Rothblatt with the Virginia Prince Transgender Pioneer Award along with Gwen Smith. Accepting the award for Martine will be her daughter.

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