Hi y'all!
I just started working a new job where the uniforms are the same t-shirt and jeans for men and women. Hair is required to be pulled back and out of your face.
I was wondering if you have any suggestions on how to avoid getting read male in the workplace, as I've already been labeled "he" and "him" by my coworkers whom I haven't been introduced to yet. This is especially disheartening because out in public I'm pretty frequently referred to as "ma'am" and "miss".
Along with that, how have you corrected co-workers who misgender you? I was thinking of just being upfront and letting them know "hey, I'm transitioning to female actually and I wanted to let you know."
My manager already knows, and both the company and the state I live in have Gender Non-discrimination policies, and I live in a pretty LGBT friendly environment.
Thanks!
A jeans skirt or skort?
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If you have a clearly feminine name, you could introduce yourself. Something like "Hi, I'm xxxxxx and you are? The more clues you drop, the more likely you are to be correctly gendered. When I was transitioning, office wear was normally skirts to that sent a clear gender message. As you can't wear that, any other clues you can offer such as jewelry, makeup or whatever will set the correct gender.
Yeah, Makeup is the big one as it's literally Jean pants and a t-shirt; no blouses, skirts, and very minimal jewelry allowed
I wouldn't worry about explaining the transitioning part. Feminine name would do it... makeup is a second one... and a polite "I'm a girl dude" would be more than enough. Most women won't let the "him and he" thing slide. Quick and to the point they'd nip it in the bud. Then there's always how you wear the shirt and the jeans. Blouse it at the waist line so it drapes. Quite feminine. Choice in jeans too... get a little flare. Designed pockets, or no pockets. Etc... Otherwise ensure your make-up is on point. Feminine frames if you wear glasses.