The Employer's Guide to Gender Transition by Dianna Cicotello 2001 (2nd printing), Transition Press 37 pages (soft) This handbook has been created at the request of business leaders and upper-level management personnel of several corporations. It was designed to address the most common issues that arise when an employee makes a gender transition on the job. This handbook has two major sections: Section one, Overview, provides background information. Section two, Expectations, provides insight into the issues and reactions that this transition are most likely to raise within your organization. SECTION ONE - OVERVIEW - Just what is it that we are dealing with here? What is my employee trying to do?
- Why is it necessary for them to change their gender?
- Bur aren't men and women really the same, except for specific contribution to the reproductive process?
- With all of the discoveries about how the sub-conscious mind functions, can't they be "de-programmed", and just change how they think?
- There must be other influences, other reasons, as well . . .
- Aren't these people just mentally ill?
- Wouldn't more hormones cure this?
- There must be some kind of cure for this . . .
- I'm Christian, and I'm certain that proper prayer, or maybe a faith healer, cold fix this problem!
- What about male role models? A strong male influence would provide a path to overcoming these desires, wouldn't it?
- He doesn't seem effeminate . . .
- I thought she seemed quite masculine . . .
- Does this mean that they are homosexual?
SECTION TWO - EXPECTATIONS - What is Transition?
- What is the ultimate goal of the transition process?
- Why couldn't they just go somewhere else to do this?
- Is there anything special my company can, or should, do to help this transition process?
- How can we be assured that the individual is OK? How can we know if we are doing enough, or too much? How would we know if s/he is on track to a successful transition?
- But (for the male-to-female) s/he still as so very male in so many respects. We just don't see any female personality traits at all!
- But (for the female-to-male) he still looks and seems to act like a woman in so many respects. Where's the male?
- He (She) is becoming a She (He), and that job is not usually done by a woman . . .
- Wouldn't it be easier just to make the changes quickly and be done with it?
- I'm not a bit comfortable with this gender transition!
- It sometimes seems like the individual is really pushing this onto a lot of other people . . .
- Why is he/she doing this to us/me?
- It seems like they are trying to hide information from all of us. I would like to know more about what they are feeling, how they are doing.
- For our business's planning purposes, when and what will the surgery consist of? What can we expect?
- What are the most common problems we can expect to encounter?
- How DO we deal with the restroom issue?
- What other type of work disruptions can we anticipate?
- Will this transition affect the performance of work teams?
- Are the social issues, the working relationship issues, really that much of a potential problem?
- Are the social issues different around a female transitioning to male?
- All of this seems a bit too combative for the efficient operation of my office. I'm, not sure the individual is worth it . . .
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