Unlike many trans people, Duke said he has not experienced job discrimination, homelessness, violence, or even privacy violations linked to restrooms or locker facilities on the job. I realized I should have been born a boy.” I spent the next week or two looking back on my life. We went for a walk and I thought, ‘I almost hope she gets a divorce, so I can be the next man in her life.’ That changed everything. “She was having issues in her marriage, and I became her sounding board, without letting her know my attraction. “My ‘aha moment’ came when I had a crush on the female goalie on my hockey team,” he said. Sometimes that includes sharing what Duke calls his “aha moment.” That moment for trans folks is the realization their gender identity is different from the sex they were assigned at birth, such as the sex listed on their birth certificates.
Today, he offers support to others when appropriate, including a trans woman working the same shift at the same plant. “I don’t need to stand on a soapbox and say ‘I’m transgender,’ but I feel a need and a calling to support people because I’ve been through the process,” said Duke, who describes himself as “the epitome of a tomboy growing up – a girl who did boys’ stuff and hated dresses.” While International Transgender Day of Visibility is helping to shape an increasingly accepting workplace, it’s clear more needs to be done in order for transgender individuals to live openly and authentically.ĭuke, who uses a pseudonym to protect his identity, said he wanted to remain anonymous, despite a day of “visibility,” because some members of his extended family are “prejudiced.” Respect me as an individual.”įor employees like Duke, this special day triggers a range of emotions, from pride to relief to reluctance to publicly reveal their stories. You may not like it, but leave that at the door when you come in to work. We’ve done enough fighting with ourselves about being the wrong gender. We ask that you respect and honor us so we don’t have to fight anymore. “People are more than just aware, they are willing to educate themselves or at least not voice their displeasure that there is a transgender person in the workplace. When I asked Duke, a Magna shop-floor employee who identifies as transgender, how he felt about Magna honoring and celebrating International Transgender Day of Visibility, he replied: “Pleased, for sure, with a little hint of pride.”
0 kommentar(er)
