The political situation for trans people in the southern US has been devolving rapidly and I’m looking to move to a protected state. I’m going to start applying to jobs soon, and I’ve been considering whether I should apply as my dead self or not.
I haven’t changed my legal name yet, so my job applications immediately out me as trans and even if it didn’t I don’t pass at all currently, so if I got an interview I’d be outed then. I’ve been reading about how hard it is to get a job as a trans woman and I’ll need all the help I can get to get out of this shithole state.
It would kill me to have to go back into the closet for work, but the alternative is being potentially stuck in a place that will forcibly detransition me which is way worse.
Has anyone been in this situation or has any advice?
Seeing all the recent news I can’t help but feel the US is not a fun place to be right now.
I sincerely hope the political landscape calms the fuck down soon, and all of you can focus on the real issues again. It is beyond unreasonable how much attention some of these culture war topics are getting. It is also obviously a divide and conquer strategy and someone needs to break that cycle.
Are you applying for a job that has you representing the company to the public in any way? If so, you might find yourself less free in your appearance than you would if you have a desk job. And it’s likely not just about being trans, but other things like piercings, tattoos and hair styles as well.
I’m not sure how well woker’s rights are represented in law, either on a state basis or in the USA in general. But you might want to consider finding out with the interview if your potential employer really respects you being trans or not, even if you do so without actually mentioning you’re trans. And if not I’m inclined to say the job is not a safe place for you. If you leave this up to chance, you might be in for a nasty surprise later on in your career there.
But I guess it all depends on how long you can afford to look for a job where you’re going to be respected for who you really are. If you need work fast, there’s also the option of just taking the job stealthily and almost immediately looking for a new job from there. All while pocketing the employment experience, which definitely helps your chances finding other work.
Ultimately there are two things you need to prove in an interview (if you’re dealing with reasonable people and not bigots): Whether your personality doesn’t make you clash with the colleagues you’ll be working with. Wether your skillset matches what the employer is looking for, and employers have this bad habit of not mentioning wanted soft skills in the ad.
Do those two well and the only thing ruining your chances is your potential employer being a twisted bigoted piece of shit, in which case it’s their loss.