A delicate exploration of the discrimination that gender-diverse people face, this book analyzes the relationship between gender identity and performance in the workplace while considering the emotional and economic survival of those who identify as transgender. The transgender community is more visible now than ever before, but the diversity within this community has remained obscure in the workplace as organizations, corporations, and institutions struggle to keep up with the rate at which transgender communities are gaining visibility. For leaders seeking best practices related to bathroom access, workplace transition, hiring practices, inclusive workplace culture, and more, this book offers guidance and novel policy recommendations designed to ensure the success of transgender employees. Extending the existing theoretical literature on masculinity in the workplace, gender discrimination, and gender performance, the book introduces the new concept of "doing ambiguity." It contains original research complemented by humanizing narratives from transgender people that provide insights into rarely explored non-binary, gender-fluid, and genderless experiences. In addition, it identifies factors that may preclude and minimize discrimination, including strategies pursued by transgender people at the individual level as well as policies employed at the organization level, and outlines a pragmatic set of policy recommendations for employers, community leaders, and others looking to help transgender people thrive in organizational environments.

"This book scrutinizes how strong social reactions that transgender individuals face in the workplace and examine the complexities of workplace disclosure decisions that transsexual employees face in both working and non-working domains"--

The complex and changing state of policy protections for transgender communities practically requires trans people to become legal experts just to navigate their everyday lives. It also simultaneously offers a window of opportunity for legal advocates to shape new laws and policies based on the lived experiences of trans people. Using personal interviews, legal case histories, and transgender theory, Transgender Employment Experiences combines policy analysis with the lived experiences of twenty transgender-identified employees, showing how worker protections that should exist under the Civil Rights Act are instead systematically undermined in the case of many transgender employees. Rather than focusing solely on negative experiences, however, Kyla Bender-Baird also highlights the positive experiences her respondents had coming out at work, illustrating examples of best practices in response to transitioning. Bender-Baird covers many forms of discrimination that transgender workers face, such as harassment, gender-based dress codes, income-related inequities, bathroom policies, and background checks. Drawing from this analysis, she argues for protections for gender expression in policy decisions, legislative efforts, and for a multipronged approach to workplace discrimination. With its effective balance of personal stories and legal guidance, this book is a much-needed resource for those in the field of gender and employment, from policy analysts to human resource managers to queer studies scholars.

A delicate exploration of the discrimination that gender-diverse people face, this book analyzes the relationship between gender identity and performance in the workplace while considering the emotional and economic survival of those who identify as transgender. The transgender community is more visible now than ever before, but the diversity within this community has remained obscure in the workplace as organizations, corporations, and institutions struggle to keep up with the rate at which transgender communities are gaining visibility. For leaders seeking best practices related to bathroom access, workplace transition, hiring practices, inclusive workplace culture, and more, this book offers guidance and novel policy recommendations designed to ensure the success of transgender employees. Extending the existing theoretical literature on masculinity in the workplace, gender discrimination, and gender performance, the book introduces the new concept of "doing ambiguity." It contains original research complemented by humanizing narratives from transgender people that provide insights into rarely explored non-binary, gender-fluid, and genderless experiences. In addition, it identifies factors that may preclude and minimize discrimination, including strategies pursued by transgender people at the individual level as well as policies employed at the organization level, and outlines a pragmatic set of policy recommendations for employers, community leaders, and others looking to help transgender people thrive in organizational environments.