Stephanie, your post is very reassuring to me. By the end of this everyone in my organization that needs to know will know and my name will be changed in all HR systems. It will be such a relief to finally live one life, the one that fitS me inside and out!
When I first read this thread I was thinking what a huge moment for you. I didn't know how it would turn out and know I'd be worried. I'm happy it went so well for you so congrats! It helped restore my faith in people but I'm also sure they knew how cool you were even before your announcement.
Jhustagirl,
May we know more details of just what you said in your presentations to the women and men, and also, the overall content of your email letter to folks?
I have a similar event coming up in the not-too-distant future, before 40 to 50 people probably, and I am totally without ideas about how to open this type of thing. And I'd sure like to get a round of applause! How did you prompt that?
And also, did you take questions, too, or just make a statement?
Thank you very much in advance,
Ann
✻ღϠ₡ღ✻ Ϡ₡Ϡ₡Ϡ₡Ϡ₡Ϡ₡✻ ღϠ₡ღ✻
No One Can Make You Feel Inferior Without Your Consent
Ann, this is the content of my prepared remarks ( i read a prepared statement on the conference call, but spoke freely during the f2f meetings:
*
I am pretty sure that what I am about to share with isn’t on your top 10 list of possibilities of what this meeting might be about.
*
I have asked to impose on your time today because I respect you all and consider you as my friends. What I am about to share with you, you deserve to hear from me directly
*
Very few people, until now, have known, and I have worked very hard to keep it that way, that I have had a lifelong struggle with my gender identity. As hard to comprehend as it may be, when I look in the mirror every day, the man in the mirror looking back at me is not who I feel myself to be *inside Through much soul searching, prayer, and counseling, I have made the decision to undergo gender transition - a sex change if you like. *This is a process that began several years
ago and will be complete upon my return from medical leave. *My last day as Xxx will be June 3rd, and I *will return to work June 24 as xxx, my chosen and, and now legal, name. *
This is a significant change and is likely to create some uncertainty and maybe some discomfort. *To help ease that, I want you to know a few things to expect.
*
First, you can expect that I will continue to meet, and hopefully exceed, the professional expectations that you had of me *before I shared this news with you
Second, *I will continue to be ready and eager to help you in any way that I can.
Finally, you can expect that I will be open to questions that you may have - though I may not always choose to answer them - and fully understanding that this will take some getting used to for all of us. *I know that there will be times when the wrong name or pronouns will
be used, but I will certainly assume that it was an honest mistake. *Just remember- from this point forward I am a bitch, not a *******!
So what do I expect from you in return? Simply, *I expect that you will continue to treat me with the * same level of professionalism and courtesy that you always have, and that you will continue to hold me to the same high standards that we all hold each other to.
*
A year ago, it was my full intention to leave Xxx, complete my transition, and then figure out where to go from there. *However, after a few conversations with some people in our diversity and human resources organizations, as well as my senior managers, *it quickly became clear that it might be possible to complete my transition AND continue to contribute to the this company that means so much to me. *As this part of my journey ends, I am left with the profound knowledge that what makes Xxx a great company is that it is made up of a whole lot *of really good people. *That certainly includes all of you. *
*
Thank you for listening to me, and I forward to continued success together
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
This is my transition letter, which I will be sending to those I did not reach otherwise:
*
Dear Colleague,
*
I would like to share with you something with you that is deeply personal to me while also very public. *I have been under the care of a physician for some time and have been diagnosed with a condition known as gender dysphoria. *In simplest terms, this means that my inner gender identity is inconsistent with my birth sex. *Gender dysphoria has been portrayed in the media as a mental illness or a deviance, but it *is neither of these. *It is a bona fide clinical condition for which established and effective standards of care exist.
*
This condition *has been present since my earliest years and has presented an ongoing struggle in my life. *While I outwardly function well in a male role, inwardly I have struggled with the inconsistency between who I am and who I appear to be. *This has placed a great strain on me in my personal life as well as on those who are closest to me. *To definitively treat this, I am undergoing a gender transition (“sex change”) and will continue my life from this point forward as a female. *The process of transition began several years ago, which may explain for you physical changes you might *have already noticed. *It will culminate June 24, when I will return to work from medical leave as a female. *My name has been legally changed to Xxx and my physical presentation, such as dress, will be as you would expect for a professional woman.
*
I fully appreciate that this is likely unexpected and that you may find it at odds with your personal beliefs. I respect this and will make no effort to convince you otherwise. *I will, however, continue to deliver excellence in my role at Xxx and strive to be an effective member of your team. *In return, I ask that you treat me with the professionalism that you always have and the respect that you would afford any valued coworker. *While a change such as this may be difficult to assimilate, I ask that you refer to me by my legal name, Xxx and *the pronouns “she” and “her” , as the situation and your personal comfort dictate.
*
You likely will have questions about this, now or in the future, and I will be happy to address these to the best of my ability. *There are also many good external resources available, and for convenience I have listed a few for you. *I have also attached a white paper that I have authored on the topic of Transgender.
*
Sincerely,
Last edited by Rianna Humble; 05-29-2013 at 05:24 AM. Reason: Multiposting is making a post directly one after another, when you could have edited the additional comments into your first post. Multiposts will be merged.
Justagurl, you have my standing ovation with tears in my eyes. Thank you so much for sharing these. BRAVO!!!
✻ღϠ₡ღ✻ Ϡ₡Ϡ₡Ϡ₡Ϡ₡Ϡ₡✻ ღϠ₡ღ✻
No One Can Make You Feel Inferior Without Your Consent
Posting Permissions
