I found another bigot today! (Like that’s hard to do on the southern united states).
Today I was talking with a co-worker (a male Frenchman by birth who is now a US citizen) about Europe changing it rules for women getting paid maternity leave. The women currently get 10 weeks full salary paid and the European union is voting to change it to 20 weeks.
I told a female co-worker in the next cubical about the paid leave and she said if I wanted that paid leave I could go over there and get a sex change operation. She said “Lots of people do it.” She then went on to say she worked with a man who transitioned to being a woman. Steve became Stephanie. She said that all the women in the office were not comfortable using the same restroom as Stephanie knowing that she had once been a man. She said “It was just weird.” That statement told me that she may tolerate it, but she doesn’t like it. (I guess I won’t tell her about my hobby).
I wanted to ask her if it would have made a difference had she not known Stephanie used to be a man, but I didn’t want to out myself to her, so I just let the conversation end there.
I know not all women feel this way, but some do. I am not trying to put down women. I think women are great, that’s why I want to be one. I am trying to point out that not everyone will tell you that you are the “elephant in the room” that no one feels comfortable with.
So, if you think you are being accepted, it may be that you are just being tolerated.