The Question Is Why?

Why should we even have to disclose at all?

Why should a trans person have to disclose to an employer that you’re trans, that fact has nothing to do with your job, it is none of their business.

When Do You Disclose That You’re Transgender in Tech?
Opinion: Transgender employees live in fear even in the most progressive workplaces. We need clearer and more dedicated support.
Wired
By Joan Westenberg
October 3, 2019

I am terrified of being unemployed. As a transgender woman, I know that I am at risk of becoming a statistic, among those unemployed at rates three times higher than the national average, who are struggling to find work, and who are looking at a future that can seem bleak and terrifying. Surveys from the National Center for Transgender Equality have found that up to 26 percent of transgender respondents had lost their job through bias and discrimination and 50 percent had been harassed on the job.
[…]
Tech is not immune to trans exclusionary activities that, even when indirect and not necessarily ill-intentioned, can contribute to our sense of unease. Earlier this year, Google announced the inclusion of Heritage Foundation president Kay Coles James, who had recently expressed anti-trans views, on their Advanced Technology External Advisory Council. While the response from Google employees was swift, and the council was disbanded, the underlying lack of questioning or insight into the trans experience from their own company was striking. Tech giant Dell has faced multiple complaints in recent years from transgender and gender non-conforming employees who claim to have experienced harassment in shared bathrooms, been limited in their roles, or, as one current lawsuit alleges, been let go because of the impact of their transition on their ability to travel. There have also been complaints from queer and transgender workers in Tesla and Amazon warehouses who have had negative workplace experiences with allegedly severe consequences for their jobs.

Before I retired I had one of my technician found out that I was trans. He waited until I was laid off because they were shutting down the company and laying off employees in stages when he sent out a general email to all the other employees outing me. He was having an affair while he was married but he said I was a sin against god… he seemed to have a narrow interpretation of his holly book.

One of the key challenges for myself and the people around me is: At what point do we disclose that we are transgender? At what point do we tell potential new employers and coworkers about who we are? At what point do we share something that is intimate yet often clear, knowing that the information could prevent us from progressing through the hiring process?

This presupposes the fact that you can integrate into society, there are many trans people that you can tell they are trans just by their appearance and voice.

The author brings up  an interesting point…

Some recruiters have told me the information I share isn’t relevant, but it does allow me to both filter through companies where who I am would become a problematic issue during either the hiring process or my actual time on the job. It also allows me to avoid confrontations for which I may lack the emotional bandwidth or a sufficient sense of physical safety and comfort.

If the company doesn’t bat and eyelash when the find out that you’re trans that might be a good sign.

When I came out to HR her firsts words were “There’s a sale on dresses at Sym’s, 30 percent off!” and that was followed by… “Oh, I get to add another woman to our diversity statement!”