I am on my third week of transition at my workplace, a global corporate headquarters, where I am now working full-time in IT as Valerie. I am the only open/out trangendered employee in the company of 49,000. Overall it has gone extremely well. People are adjusting. The open stares have stopped and the traffic around my cube not quite the expressway it was. I still get some drivebys with an obvious look (people aren't very subtle) but it is dying down. Yesterday I had my first work meeting where a man offered his seat to me when there were none available, and I took it while the others in the room witnessed. The male/female chivalry chair ritual is part of the office culture, and it was offered and accepted. It was right and good, part of the normal daily worklife ...a milestone for me, of course, in my new identity. For those co-workers I was meeting with, a show of respect and acceptance.
It is taking longer for some people I don't work directly with to adjust to my truth. We had an IT town hall open forum last Thursday, with about 800 people present. I learned yesterday that one person (someone I don't know) was pointing, elbowing, giggling and generally mocking me behind my back ...two to three rows behind, with me unaware. I heard he was told to knock it off by a peer. When I learned who he was, I found that he sits on my floor, is one of the driveby people, and is generally considered immature.
The emotion from being disrespected is anger, naturally, and I am tempted to walk over to where he sits to discuss it. I have not yet, though I did inform HR of the incident. I don't expect every employee to agree with transition, but I will not stand to be openly mocked at a public meeting among my peers when my back is turned. I have calmed down since hearing of it, but still unsure how I will deal with it. I admit it hurts, my first negative workplace incident.
