I often see a lot of transgender folks talk about either good experiences or bad ones at various places such as shopping, hair salons, etc. Has anyone ever thought about having an official 'Transgender Friendly' certification that shops and vendors can apply for? I'm thinking some kind of form they would have to fill out and certify that they have given sensitivity training to their staff and agree to display a 'transgender friendly' logo on their website and/or storefront.

Once they are certified they could be listed in a directory on the official transgender friendly <whatever> site.

Just a thought. What do others think of this? I would love to be able to go to one site and find places I can go to with comfort instead of a lot of trial and error.

The problem is that most encounters are between individual people.
If I have a positive experience at a Wal-Mart, does that actually mean anything?
Ok, there are organizations that actively promulgate acceptance of all.

How would one go about certifying a business as Trans friendly?  What would the qualifications be?

But it is an interesting thought however.


Janet

I like the idea.  Janet brings up a few good questions though.
Is this intended to be a full fledged organization or website with individual stores singled out by customers like some kind of Trans Friendly BBB listing?

A sign would not be required.  A listing on the internet would be effective.  Many might be afraid of retaliation against the business, such as has happened with fur coat dealers.  True that such a business would become the target of the bigots and hate mongers, but there are laws protecting them and many more will pop up.


Janet

Nashville has the Nashville GLBT Chamber of Commerce whose mission statment reads:

"The Nashville GLBT Chamber of Commerce exists to advance common business interests, economic growth and equality in the workplace and society for its GLBT members, businesses and allies by providing educational, networking and community-building opportunities."

It is an affilliate of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. Is that something like you're referring to?

FairyGirl, do you know if any such organizations exist in new jersey (my home state)?
Also, I like heatherrose's idea.

Even though the main organization's official name is the "National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce" (NGLCC), all of it's dealings include the "T" as well. The national organization has a BUSINESS DIRECTORY that includes all members for every state, including Canadian states. Just a quick search there under "New Jersey" will show you the LGBT friendly businesses for your state.

Obviously this is a good idea because this organization has grown in a short time to become one of the best resources for finding LGBT friendly businesses for a lot of different business categories. While this might not be exactly the same focus as Dana was talking about, it does have a similar result in finding LGBT friendly businesses.

on their "About" page:

Quote from: NGLCCThe NGLCC is the business advocate and direct link between lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) business owners, corporations, and government, representing the interests of more than 1.4 million LGBT businesses and entrepreneurs. The NGLCC is committed to forming a broad-based coalition of LGBT owned and friendly businesses, professionals, and major corporations for the purpose of promoting economic growth and the prosperity of our members.


What we do:

Facilitate cooperation among state and local LGBT chambers and business groups.


Provide the ability to collect and disseminate news and information central to the success of LGBT businesses and professionals on a national level.


Partner with the financial services sector to enhance opportunities for members to start or grow their business.


Work with corporate partners, other organizations and the community at large to ensure increased opportunity and equality for LGBT professionals.


Provide supplier diversity certification to help LGBT businesses gain more procurement opportunities.


Stay on the forefront of legislative issues and provide strong advocacy efforts for LGBT business causes.

Well, that certainly is pretty convenient. I live in kentucky for the time being, but when I visit new jersey again I'll have to owe them a call or visit or something.

Quote from: heatherrose on November 01, 2009, 12:44:53 PM

I would be ecstatic with an emblem displayed on a storefront proclaiming,
"All who enter herein shall be served equally without regard to social, economic,
philosophic, ethnic, or aesthetic status." I would be as uncomfortable with a "Transgender
Friendly Certificate" as I would be with seeing a sign stating, "We serve Negros,
Jews and ->-bleeped-<-s." I would rather be recognized as an equal among all
than be seen as part of a subculture, you know "one of those."

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Quote from: heatherrose on November 01, 2009, 12:44:53 PM

I would be ecstatic with an emblem displayed on a storefront proclaiming,
"All who enter herein shall be served equally without regard to social, economic,
philosophic, ethnic, or aesthetic status." I would be as uncomfortable with a "Transgender
Friendly Certificate" as I would be with seeing a sign stating, "We serve Negros,
Jews and ->-bleeped-<-s." I would rather be recognized as an equal among all
than be seen as part of a subculture, you know "one of those."

Thirded.

Quote from: heatherrose on November 01, 2009, 12:44:53 PM

I would be ecstatic with an emblem displayed on a storefront proclaiming,
"All who enter herein shall be served equally without regard to social, economic,
philosophic, ethnic, or aesthetic status." I would be as uncomfortable with a "Transgender
Friendly Certificate" as I would be with seeing a sign stating, "We serve Negros,
Jews and ->-bleeped-<-s." I would rather be recognized as an equal among all
than be seen as part of a subculture, you know "one of those."

Thats an excellent idea

But like Janet said how would the "qualification" be obtained?!?

Jay

Well, there is a system in place already.
You simply place a inconspicuous LGBT ribbon decal on your store window or advertisement.
People in the know think, "Wow, they are LGBT friendly!"
The plus side is that your typical homophobe or transphobe doesn't know what it means so that the business doesn't lose their patronage.

Of course, if the business was truly supportive they would put up a sign saying,
"We support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
If that's not Ok with you, take your business somewhere else."

Thanks for everyone's input. I believe a T Friendly logo or sign is a bit much, I suppose. I still like the idea of a directory of services that are some how vetted in some way to be friendly.

Heather, I understand what you are saying but that is a mighty tall order for today. I think everyone wishes that everyone could just go anywhere they wanted and be accepted and treated well no matter how they express themselves. So what would you recommend for the short term?

Fairygirl, thanks for the link to that directory. That is actually kind of what I was thinking. However, I looked up LGBT friendly bars/restaurants and there was only one listing.  

So actually maybe what we need is a 'human friendly' certification.

But that would mean that pet owners, who are trans, could only shop at Petsmart. 


Janet