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| Work IssuesGender transition in the workplace has become far easier in the last few years, especially in Victoria where we are protected by strong anti-discrimination laws and significant support within the society as a whole.
However it is very important to plan ahead and to ensure that work performance will not suffer and that sufficient funding is avaiable to complete the gender transition and find new employment in a worst case scenario.
Many people transition successfully "in place" and either retain the same job, or transfer within the company in which they work. Others seek work with a different employer, which is realistic as long as the person has marketable skills and remains presentable and self-confident.
Large companies will have encountered gender transition before and will have policies to support and facilitate the change. Many human resource departments are very "trans-friendly" and will go out of their way to encourage an employee to stay after transition.
Employers including Telstra, IBM Global Services, Coles Myer and many others also have a proven record of hiring people following gender transition, even where the gender past is visible and known.
Many smaller businesses are also happy to hire visibly transgendered or transsexual employees and realise that such people will be more loyal and serious about their jobs. After all, successful completion of a gender transition indicates willpower, tenacity, and an ability to work hard to achieve goals.
Where the gender past is not apparent from a person's physical appearance or work, the situation is much simpler. Documents such as the Victorian Certificate of Education, TAFE Diplomas and University Degrees can be reissued in the new name, as can passports, drivers' licenses, and birth certificates. Most former employers will be happy to give a good reference in one's new name, and even if the company as a whole objects such references can be obtained from individual managers.
Strong anti-discrimination laws exist in Victoria which will prevent an employer from dismissing an employee if their gender past becomes apparent later. In practice, where a person has a strong work history and is good at what they do, the issue is not likely to become a problem.
To see some of the careers and life paths that women and men have taken following a gender transition, it is worth looking at Lynn Conway's TS successes website and her Successful Transmen page. |
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