Any Accomplished CD's you know

[wannabie]

Does anyone know of any accomplished CD's that have a carrer in the business world? I looked and The only thing I see more of are entertainers. the reason I'm asking is because I want to try living as my other half 24/7 for one year somewhere else and I want to know what career's are available for me other than entertainer. I was supposed to do it this year but some financial situation snuck up on me that delayed my plans.

so, I have almost everything ready except a career for my female half.

any suggestions on what I can do?

[deja true]

Gosh, Wanna...

There's a site from the Univ.of Michigan that profiles about a score or more of top scientists, business people, musician, writers as well as entertainers that are all trans women...but

I can't for the life of me remember even part of the name!

Anybody else familiar with it?

[Emily Anderson]

There are some companies (many of the Fortune 500) that are accepting of CD's, but as far as I can tell, they are mostly accepting of TS's that have a medical reason to change their sex (i.e. they have a documented case history). I'm not sure about companies accepting CD'ing people who want to keep their own sex, but dress in clothes of the opposite sex, but I would be curious to know.

Happily, for TS's the world has somewhat awoken to their situation, but unfortunately there is still a much longer way to go for CD's.

[Amy Hepker]

There are so many in the closet, I know of Lawyers, Doctors, Judges, Truck Drivers, and many more. We are all over. Most don't want to be labeled anything but what they are now.

[Natalia]

Once - okay it was for Charity...

Twice - well they asked him again...

Three times with 'The Donald' nuzzling his boobies????

Nope that's a lifestyle...


quoting (and they forgot about his hot pant + nylons kicking with the Rockettes)

Giuliani’s first drag appearance, in 1997, featured a breathy Marilyn Monroe impression that was followed by various other female alter-egos over the years, including one that shared a scene with Donald Trump, who groped Giuliani and buried his head between the mayoral breasts.

His other Inner Circle characters included a 1950s greaser on a motorcycle, the Lion King and the Beauty’s beast.

His most famous appearance from 10 years ago is likely to be remembered this weekend when Mayor Michael Bloomberg gets into costume to dance and sing for the same charity event, as New York mayors have done for decades. David Dinkins once donned full cowboy regalia and entered the ballroom on a horse; Ed Koch wore a suit of glittering gold; and Bloomberg has ridden a mule and pretended to smoke pot.

In 1997, the New York media had fun for a few days with Giuliani’s first cross-dressing experiment — the Village Voice printed a favorable review by real drag queens — but it didn’t appear to hurt him politically.

[deja true]

Ah! Here's the U Mich site. It's Lynn Conway's. Shoulda remembered! My bad!

Been a while since I looked there. It's grown tremendously. Thanks U MIch for hosting this site!

http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/


It is about transitioned women, but the inspiration here is formidable.

Look for "Transexual Women's Successes" about halfway down the page. But also spend a lot of time reading throughout the site... Inspirational and very educational for the young 'uns.

[RikkiOfLA]

If you're in the United States, you probably know that most jobs in the business world are career oriented. That means when you interview for them, the assumption the employer wants to hear is that you're going to do this job for at least a few years, and you're going to continue in this line of work for the rest of your working life. That's a career.

Contrast that with a part-time temporary job that's designed for someone who has another job--a college student with a side job or a summer job, or a housewife working part time, or a professional working a second job. These opportunities are rarer, but they can be found.

Today there are plenty of transgender people working careers. Employers don't care about whether surgery is in your plans, whether you're taking hormones, etc. They expect that you will conduct yourself and dress (full time) as a professional woman. You can be quite open about your transgenderedness. That doesn't mean that you can't dress "male" to work on your car or take out the trash. After all, women do nowadays. But when you come in to work every day, or if you drop by the office to pick up your paycheck, you need to dress like the other women at the job. And women are much more "herd animals" than men. That means if the other women at work wear black double knit slacks with 2" spike heels daily except Fridays when they wear jeans, guess what you wear! In many states and cities, there are now laws legally protecting transgender people in the work place. These protections, however, do not extend to people who change gender frequently. In other words, getting a career job as a woman takes a lifetime commitment to presenting as a woman. I have done this as a crossdresser until I retired. A couple of other people on this board are doing it. So you can be assured it can be done. The best way to start is to find an employer in your field you believe would be sympathetic and talk with them about it. A business that has (or would like to have) a large number of transgender customers would be a good place to start. So would a large employer who needs to be noted for their fairness. You can read the fairness policies of most large corporations on their websites.

A part time or temporary job as a transgendered woman might be harder to find. I kinow of one crossdresser who's done it. Does your field of experience ever use volunteers? Many non-profits do, for example. Museums have docents (guides). Libraries have literacy programs. Telephone crisis counselors are often volunteers. Hospitals have volunteers who visit with patients and guide visitors. I have done volunteer work as a transgender person quite successfully. Keep in mind that you'll be at the bottom of the pecking order but it's a good way to see what an employer is like.

Some cautions:

First, you should be really comfortable being dressed in public, using washrooms, talking to people, etc. You need to be able to leave the sexual aspects of crossdressing behind for long periods of time. Paradoxically, you need to be comfortable flirting harmlessly with people, the way most women do.

Second, keep in mind that in most jobs, women work three times as hard as men. It's a fact, and you'd best be prepared to work much harder than you ever have before. First, you have to do the same amount of work (or a little more) than you did as a man. Second, women have to take care of all the "little things"--making coffee, putting up holiday decorations, etc. Men may think these things don't take a lot of time, but women know differently. And you can't complain about having to do them unless the other women do. Third, women have to take on this heavier workload and make it look effortless. It's much more acceptable for a man to appear tired at work than a woman.

Third, it's really unpredictable how the people you deal with, will react to your transgenderedness. At some places, I've been deluged with personal questions about sex life, hormones, etc. At other places, my personal life has been ignored. You have to be prepared for all kinds of questions, and you have to be prepared for silence, too.

Fourth, you have to take the lead on the bathroom question. Tell them which restroom you use, and stick to your guns. Be prepared for a fight on this issue, or on any personal admissions you make privately to co-workers. There will be those who want to get rid of you because you challenge the status quo. Be prepared for them by working hard (but not harder than the other women), knowing (and sticking to) your legal rights, and working extra hard to get along with everyone at work.

Fifth, don't be surprised if you like working as a woman, far beyond your wildest dreams! After even a few weeks, you may never want to go back to being a man. You need to prepare your family for this possibility ahead of time. How will they feel about losing a son or husband, and gaining a daughter or wife?

Hope this helps.

Blessings,
Rikki

[docrobbysherry]

J. Edgar Hoover was said to have worn dresses. But no one had the guts to call him on it!

Marv Albert, the NBA announcer, was fired for being caught in panties, I believe. Re-hired of course. Heard him announcing the Laker's game. (Who r going to win it all, by the way! Sorry Leprecaun fans.)

[Kimberly Kael]

Does anyone know of any accomplished CD's that have a carrer in the business world?

Absolutely, but none of them have a career because they're cross-dressers. You'll have to look to skills and training that are career-oriented to figure out what you can do for a living en femme. Whether you're an entertainer, a politician, a medical professional, or an engineer has nothing to do with the clothes you wear and everything to do with your aptitudes and how much other people value them.

What do you enjoy doing that other people value? What have you studied? Those are the right places to start thinking about a job, not the kinds of clothes you like to wear. Many states have legislation in place that makes it illegal for an employer to discriminate against you because of your gender presentation, but none will quibble with an employer who points out that you simply aren't qualified.

[TSchapes]

I believe on October 4, 2008 in Atlanta, the SCC is hosting a job fair. I'm half temped to fire up the resume and see which companies are there. Go to their site: Southern Comfort Conference (http://www.sccatl.org/) and click on the Career Expo button.

btw Some companies like mine pride themselves on diversity. But CD's throw them for a loop. Again, TS need support for medical reasons. They are denied care if it's related to their SRS because that's considered elective. We on the other hand give them fits about accommodation. Such as, how should we be addressed, what bathrooms should we use, can we show up one day in drab and the other day enfemme?

We are trying to work that out not where I work, but they seem reluctant to even talk about it. I'll let you know how it progresses.

-Tracy

[wannabie]

You'll have to look to skills and training that are career-oriented to figure out what you can do for a living en femme. Whether you're an entertainer, a politician, a medical professional, or an engineer has nothing to do with the clothes you wear and everything to do with your aptitudes and how much other people value them.

In an ideal world that would be true, seeing that I am trained to do a lot, but we're living in a country where we are judged on first appearance. thing is I'm willing to try and I guess I'm looking for others CD's that would be my inspiration.

Everyone knows about hoover but I doubt he would have been elected if he went out in a womens business suit with earings and pearls.

[trannie T]

We are hidden in our closets because being out may hinder our chances of success.
We do not have any "poster children" to inspire us to come out.
We do not have any famous role models because crossdressing is still not accepted by the mainstream.
Crossdressing is not accepted by the mainstream because so many of us are hidden in the closet.

[rian]

Dear Rikki
I would like to thank you for the broad explanation which you have given us (the beginers ) it was very informative , Yet full of experience ,,,,,, Well you are the leadres & we are the followers .I do not think I can survive in the deep waters as you did .......
On the other hand Im imperssed by you Wannabei , for starting to go the long way in this see of unknown , I wish I know something about it , :hugs: wish you good luck ....

[KateSpade83]

The business world and CDing don't mix. Every time they found out I cd at my past jobs in Chicago - I didn't last!

[Kimberly Kael]

In an ideal world that would be true, seeing that I am trained to do a lot, but we're living in a country where we are judged on first appearance. thing is I'm willing to try and I guess I'm looking for others CD's that would be my inspiration.

People are judged on appearance for all kinds of reasons. Long hair can create a negative first impression. The same is true for scars. Skin color. Acne. I guess I was just pointing out that while it's absolutely true that cross-dressing would impact your ability to get and hold a job it isn't the main determining factor. I think we simply need to accept that our blessings in one part of our lives do handicap us elsewhere and just dedicate ourselves a little more to being successful. (EDIT: Not that I'm attempting to deny that discrimination against CDs exists. Of course it does, and it's unfamiliar enough that for most I'm sure it would make work life very difficult. My point is more that I don't think there are "CD jobs" any more than there are race-specific jobs. I've seen enough progress in my lifetime that I don't think I'm going out on a limb claiming things are getting better.)

I've seen far more on "out" transsexuals as successful professionals, but I think that has more to do with their inability to disguise who they are. A cross-dresser can come into work every day in boy mode to make life easy. It's going to take a while for role models to emerge, but given the number of no-op TSs that have started to come out in my field (software industry) I'd say it's only a matter of time before we start to see some role models. I'm working toward being out myself, though I'd consider myself somewhere beyond cross-dressing and shy of transsexual. Who knows, though, given the fluidity of the labels themselves.

On the political front? You never know: Eddie Izzard is apparently considering running for office (http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/04/21/eddie-izzard-cross-dresser-traveler-politician/).

[jennifer41356]

the founder of Sirius radio is a transsexual She is a Scientist who developed the satellites and is on the board of directors I believe...she was on Howard Stern about a year ago

[AmandaM]

Oh Geez! Jahna Steele just passed away in January from an accidental drug overdose!