Again today, I was the face of my employer to someone in the community. I feel deeply honored.
We have an internal group of employees aged 50 and over. I am on the committee to find speakers and other activities for the group’s bi-monthly meeting. Today we had a speaker from a local chapter of the Institute for Learning in Retirement (ILR), which is part of the Elderhostel Institute Network.
I contacted the local chapter, arranged the speaker, greeted the speaker in the lobby, introduced him to my coworkers, then had lunch with him afterwards.
Yes, me. I, a transwoman with a moderate case of GERD (reflux disease), which renders useless all my attempts at developing a feminine voice. I, who am not yet quite finished with beard removal, I was the face of my employer to this man, and by extension, to the group he represents.
The company I work for doesn’t just pay lip service to the words diversity and inclusion — they believe them and they live them. In doing so they honor me and all my coworkers of every color, every nationality, every religious belief, and every point along the continua of G, L, B, and T.
I am blessed to be working for this company. To everyone reading this, I wish you this: that you, too, might find an employer who will treat you with the honor and respect you deserve as a human being.