Folx transphobic6/27/2023 ![]() ![]() Though I had previously been perceived as queer, coming out as trans removed a tremendous layer of protection afforded to me by my perceived cis maleness (along with my still very pertinent white privilege, non-disabled privilege, housed privilege, etc.)Īs my gender presentation shifted, there were suddenly customers who refused to be served by me. In addition to normalizing punitive action against behaviors that deviate from the paradigm, professionalism rhetoric also denies us the ability to advocate for ourselves in the face of oppressive behaviors-particularly if we fail or refuse to carry ourselves with civility or niceness.Īs I waded through the murky waters of my early transition, I sensed my loss of privilege before I could name it. While this rhetoric has the most profoundly negative impact on Black and Brown folks, professionalism also harms other marginalized people by centering white, cisgender, heterosexual, non-disabled, neurotypical people as the norm. However, beneath a glittery façade lurked an outdated notion that insidiously threatens the safety and comfort of marginalized workers in every industry: the concept of professionalism.Īt best, professionalism rhetoric is thinly-veiled identity erasure based on the premise that certain parts of our identities are “taboo” or “inappropriate for work.” This rhetoric maintains that a company’s desire to present a pristine and uniform public image is more important than our ability to show up as ourselves.Īt worst, outdated standards of professionalism actively perpetuate and reinforce workplace harm. She also shared internal documents that outlined the rights and protections extended specifically to transgender employees. My manager adjusted to my correct name and pronouns at an acceptable speed and provided me with a quick and painless manner of updating my name in our company database. On a superficial level, my assumptions about my workplace atmosphere proved accurate: my identity was universally acknowledged and accepted by my coworkers, many of whom were queer themselves. ![]() It was not a surprise to many people in my life, so much as a public acknowledgement of what they either strongly suspected or already knew. I came out as transgender in August 2015, about eight months into my coffee career.
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