Job training programs on the rise for transgender workers, an often-marginalized

[Shana A]

Job training programs on the rise for transgender workers, an often-marginalized population

By Associated Press, Updated: Friday, October 7, 5:20 AM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/job-training-programs-on-the-rise-for-transgender-workers-an-often-marginalized-population/2011/10/07/gIQAvQaCSL_story.html

WASHINGTON — Arriel Michelle Williams is in the early stages of a painstaking physical transformation from man to woman, and the clanging dissonance between her masculine voice and high heels, earrings and fashionable ladies' tops risks disquieting potential employers.

She left high school before graduation, so her bare-bones resume is limited to stints in a Burger King kitchen, as a parking attendant, volunteering at a drug addiction center and fetching food orders at an Atlanta sports arena.

Even with those obstacles — not to mention a poor economy — the 26-year-old is pursuing a social work career, and the government's helping her get ready.