Transgender Contractor

[MrsAnonymousPerson]

Thanks for the many supportive posts
And also for the frank explanation of my situation.

I think I am going to have to find a permanent role somewhere, wait for the probation period to end and then transition. Anything else risks not being able to find employment at all.

That's kind of what I expected, it's a shame and not something I want to do, but that's the way it is.

[Lance]

Thanks for the many supportive posts
And also for the frank explanation of my situation.

I think I am going to have to find a permanent role somewhere, wait for the probation period to end and then transition. Anything else risks not being able to find employment at all.

That's kind of what I expected, it's a shame and not something I want to do, but that's the way it is.

you can always try for contract work.
I believe that most clients would be uninterested in your personal circumstances.
Whilst the debate on here has been about what entitlements you may have, it fails to grasp some major factors.....

- most hirers don't know how easy it is to ditch a contractor
- most hirers are well aware of the diversity and non-discrimination obligations
- most hirers just want the right person for the job and that is not easy
- a lot of hirers are likely to discriminate positively towards you to tick a box or two

There's a shortage of skills. If you have confidence in your abilities then go for it. Worst case scenarion is you don't get any work (and that's unlikely related to your gender/sexuality/stuff I don't get, rather it's related to other factors like your abilities or the availability of more suitable candidates).

Maybe I'm too optimistic about human intentions.
Or too pessimistic about the fact that the HR and diversity nazis (they're the same people aren't they) rule the roost.


please keep us posted though. Always good to know what happens.

[NotAllThere]

Sorry I didn't take down the video earlier. I saw it, and started dealing with it, but then got called away to do some work.

This makes me cringe so hard. In fact it's one of the things that kept me in the closet so long. The fear that I would just come across as a 2d cartoon imitation of who I feel I am.

Good. My daughter went on a course where there was a transwoman. This person had the temerity to disdain my daughter for not being interested in makeup, shopping and clothes... my daughter was not best pleased.

I think if you were to contract and transition during it, there is a small but real chance of encountering some problems - more than you would in an employment position. A lot will depend on the client - if it's the BBC or NHS, you'd probably be fine. As a one time hiring manager, during less inclusive times, I really don't think it would have made a jot of difference to me - all I cared about with my contractors was that they could do the job.

In my current contract, there's a person who calls themselves Clare, who looks like a big ugly hairy man in a frock. (I'm not sure what pronoun this person prefers, nor whether they consider themselves female). Initially people are a little taken aback, but I've never heard anything negative said.

My advice would be to continue contracting. If you lose a contract half-way through due to you who you are, that's crap - but I'd always think of it as I wouldn't want to work for a client like that anyway. They'll be smegheads in some other way regardless...

[wattaj]

Unlike you, who are confused.

Gender reassignment discrimination | Equality and Human Rights Commission

Nope. Not confused; just better informed. The Equality Act 2010 (Section 7 BTW*) only refers to the protected characteristic of "Gender Reassignment". This is different from the more modern interpretation of "transgender" which has been deliberately misrepresented by self-interested parties (including the EHRC) to include cross-dressing, transexuality, and almost everything in between.

I have sympathy for the OP's position: everyone should be able to live as they please as long as how they please does not negatively impact the lives of others. And we should all be interested in undoing millennia of gender stereotypes -- especially those that have sought to subjugate women as a sex class -- but the Equality Act 2010 is unlikely to be of much help if the OP has not made progress toward full "gender reassignment"**.

Please also note: "self-identification" as a gender stereotype other than that which is normally associated with one's sex class is NOT "gender reassignment" for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010. As I seem to recall, a classification of "gender reassignment" requires a certificate from one's doctor.

HTH.

* References for the inevitable quote storm:

7 Gender reassignment

(1)A person has the protected characteristic of gender reassignment if the person is proposing to undergo, is undergoing or has undergone a process (or part of a process) for the purpose of reassigning the person's sex by changing physiological or other attributes of sex.

(2)A reference to a transsexual person is a reference to a person who has the protected characteristic of gender reassignment.

(3)In relation to the protected characteristic of gender reassignment—

(a)a reference to a person who has a particular protected characteristic is a reference to a transsexual person;

(b)a reference to persons who share a protected characteristic is a reference to transsexual persons.

** The OP may be on this path, but I do not want to assume that this is the case as it is their own business, not ours.