Trans Inclusivity Workshops
Trans people are everywhere, and always have been. We’re in your bathrooms, classrooms, churches, sports teams, dormitories, doctor’s offices, and workplaces. Until relatively recently, though, we’ve been left out of textbooks and TV shows, scientific research and DEI curriculum, and above all, policy discussions. As a result, trans people experience disproportionate rates of unemployment and job discrimination. Currently, in the midst of a housing crisis and tanking economy, trans Americans are being actively targeted by wave after wave of anti-trans legislation.
Categorically denied employment, trapped in abusive and exploitative jobs, and/or wrongfully terminated or pushed out, most trans people exist in a constant state of material insecurity, abusive relationships, and compounding trauma.
About me
As a working class trans man who transitioned later in life, in the South, at a time when my community had even fewer protections at work than we do now, I am deeply aware of how this particular epidemic (transphobia in the workplace) contributes to the high rates of housing insecurity, chronic stress, substance abuse, mental illness, intimate partner violence, and negative health outcomes in my community. I was lucky enough to escape this cycle, which is what led me to do this work.
Since developing the consulting arm of QueerKentucky, a Louisville-based queer publication, in 2019, I’ve facilitated trainings for over thirty companies and organizations, including national and international brands. I also helped develop a trans sensitivity training for correctional officers at the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections, to prevent harm for system-involved trans people.
Caveat
To be clear: we can’t educate ourselves out of oppression, especially considering that even our white cisgender working class peers are living paycheck to paycheck. DEI is damage control. The policy reforms and best practices my workshops offer come nowhere near correcting the material inequalities that exist in society. Those class inequalities will continue to persist unless and until we look beyond identity politics, and start to organize across lines that are used to divide us (including gender sexuality, race, and political party). DEI is no replacement for organizing, but it can help keep some of us alive so that we can organize.
About the workshops
The workshops provide an introduction to intersectionality and systemic oppression; an introduction to gender and sexuality, including trans and non-binary identities, and key terms; a discussion of implicit bias, with an emphasis on anti-trans bias, and practice identifying and unpacking microaggressions. Workshops geared toward employers include a discussion of trans-inclusive policies/practices around interviewing, on-boarding, record-keeping, communication, dress codes, facilities, harassment and discrimination, training/educating staff and clients, and supporting those who come out and/or transition on the job.
I use a sliding scale to ensure that the information in the workshop is accessible to anyone who employs or works alongside trans people.
Collaborations
In the wake of the anti-trans omnibus senate bill 150 being passed in Kentucky, several trans Kentuckians have come together to develop a task force that will offer workshops geared to adults who work with youth populations. For more information about these workshops, or to set one up, email ptktaskforce@gmail.com.
To schedule a training for your company/workplace, simply complete this electronic form.