Money & life as a woman

[Jane Don]

As a Normal working person (no union or government job) – I’m Afraid to live full time as a female–In every other part of my life I believe I can handle it– Rights & anti discrimination laws are only good for those With Money or have the Right Job– I would be out of work faster than you can say “”Crossdresser”” & lawsuits take time & money– I just can’t afford to be out of work– If You’ve managed to change up your life—How did you manage the income side of things?

[DeeAnn Hopings]

Hi:

It is important that what you decide is the result of conscious thought that takes into consideration all factors; positive and negative. The last thing that someone should experience is being outed. If that happens there may never be a chance to tell your story, your way.

The company that I retired from is quite supportive of the LGBT community. They also had a number of things in place for the trans community, including extending healthcare benefits and supporting transition. However, crossdressers were not really part of the program. If you transitioned, you went forward with it. What wasn’t allowed was crossdressing where you went back and forth.

Many would recommend a good therapist to help you sort out things and work through the process of figuring out what you need to do.

[Jane Don]

But–Dee—What if a person isn’t so lucky to work for a company like where You worked– I’ve tried to find another job where it might work but no such luck– I really have–

[DeeAnn Hopings]

[postquote quote=388813]

Jane:

Sorry that I missed your message…

I was fortunate in that I didn’t come out until just a bit over 3 months before I retired. I worked for Corning, Inc. and while I identify as transgender non-binary, I never had dysphoria. What I did eventually realize was that never saw myself as completely male or completely female. Therefore, since I had no plans to transition, I didn’t have intimate knowledge of the healthcare coverages for trans people.

However, I will pass along some organizations that might be good sources of information for you.

I don’t know what you do or where you are, but one way to get a sense of which companies are in support of the LGBT community is to check their web sites and see who contributes. So, it is not only a matter of who, but also how high up they are.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is the largest LGBT advocate organization in the US. There was a point in time where they sold out the T community in order to get some legislation passed. However, the current president and his predecessor have worked to correct that scar. They do a yearly survey called the Corporate Equality Index (CEI). The thing is you can’t just “say” that you have policies. You actually have to produce the documentation, demonstrate that it is signed off by upper management, document how those policies are enforced and evolve over time. They also do other studies: Healthcare Equality Index, Municipal Equality Index and there may be 1 or 2 others. All the surveys are scored by the criteria set by HRC and the result posted online and I think it can also be downloaded. Corning scored 100% for a number of years. Since moving to the desert, I was on the Steering Committee for our local Palm Springs HRC group.

There is a magazine called DiversityInc. They do surveys, but with a broader focus including women and minorities as well as LGBT folks. They also do a number of in depth articles on diversity and inclusion, politics, how current events effect diversity and inclusion efforts, etc. When I was still working, I was a subscriber for a number of years.

There is an organization called Out & Equal. Their focus is on LGBT issues in the workplace. They are advocates and work on education and awareness. They do yearly gatherings and workshops. I, along with several other members of our employee affinity group, have attended their Workplace Summit, their yearly 5 day signature event.

Also, on the GLAAD site is a list of trans organizations: https://www.glaad.org/transgender/resources

Anyway, dig into some of the various sites and organization and hopefully you can find some information that will help you move forward.

Be Well,

DeeAnn

 

[Deborah Sullivan]

I understand how you feel Jane like who needs lawsuits and all that commotion in your life. I suggest you do volunteer  work on weekends through your local LGBT organization like delivering food to aides patients or something like that since they do offer such services.

[Paula F]

Jane, have you considered a direction in self-employment?  House painting, landscaping, and a myriad of service jobs are out there for a side hustle (as Dave Ramsey calls them) until you can locate a more permanent position with a good income with a company or organization that supports the LGBTQ community.

PaulaF

 

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