Out Now Global LGBT 2020 Study

How should one go about keeping a secret that they badly want to tell the world, and yet, are muted by the possible repercussions? Like a young boy or girl wanting to tell their crush their feelings for them, or that one quiet kid who really wants to speak infront of the class. This is exactly how transgender people feel in the workplace.
Many of the transgender people in the workplace, as described by the Out Now Global LGBT 2020 study, are scared to come out: “Almost one in two trans respondents feel that coming out will definitely or probably hurt their career prospect…” ( Higginbottom 2). An example of descrimination against transgender people can be seen more in certain work places: The financial sector has in many ways traditionally
had a laddish culture which can be a tough environment for LGBT and escpecially trans people to do well in.
For this very reason, about 53% of transgender individuals were too afraid to come out, according to the report “LGBT Diversity: Show me the business case”, published in September 2014. However, according to the same study, there are appoximately 35% of transgender people who are completely out. They are many intolerant and close-minded co-workers throughout most companies that pressure and attack trans individuals. Accepting and open-minded people are few, but they make a large impact on transgenders and their lives.
A perfect example to illustrate how to treat a transgender person in the workplace was described by Rex Nakagawa during an interview that took place on May 9, 2016.
At Mr. Nakagawa’s first job, he was about 25 years old when he met a co-worker named Mike. Mr. Nakagawa had never really encountered a transgender person before in his life and never formed an opinion on the subject. At the age of 26, Mr. Nakagawa began to notice some thing “different” about his new friend, Mike. So when Mike finally “came out” and identified herself as a female, she had no idea what to expect. She changed her name from Mike to Candace and began to dress as a female. All she wanted to do was to leave the current workplace in fear of being attacked for gender identification. This event is similar to in Night, when the narrator, Elie Weisel, desperately wants to leave for Palestine: “[He] had asked [his] father to sell everything, to liquidate everything, and to leave” (Wiesel 9). However, sticking it out was initially a bad idea for both Candace and Elie. Candace was not greeted nicely by the secretary in her work deparment whom cried when she saw Candace. And Elie was eventually enslaved in the concentration camp based his father’s decision to stay. But luckily for Candace, she was quickly accepted by her male
co-workers.
Mr. Nakagawa took the initiative to try to be as supportive as possible. He even went as far as to gain the consent of his fellow male co-workers to make the male & female restrooms into a unisex & female bathroom to make Candace’s transition easier.
So when Candace had her operation to finalize her transition, she made a decision in which there was no going back. This event parrallels Elie Wiesel’s decision in Night when he challenged his religion: “ Why, but why would [he] bless Him? Every fiber in [him] rebelled… How could [he] say to Him: Blessed be Thou, Almighty, Mast of the Universe, who chose us among all nations to be tortured day and night…” (Wiesel 67). Elie Wiesel doubted his lord throughout the time in the concentration camps and it was decision to turn away from religion. Once he objected to the Jewish God, there was no going back for him. Both Candace and Elie made decisions that they had to stick by for the rest of their lives.
Thanks to the help of Mr. Nakagawa and his fellow co-worker’s attitudes toward Candace’s decision, she worked happily alongside with everyone in the business. Candace’s life changed for the better and she thrived with her gender identification in the workpalce.
This concluded the experience that Mr.
Nakagawa shared concerning transgenders in the workplace.
Throughout the interview, Mr. Nakagawa was very sincere and serious regarding this topic. The final thought that Mr. Nakagawa wanted to explain to everyone was how this event changed his life. He articulated, “I never knew a transgender before I met Candace, and I didn’t understand how they felt being trapped in a body that they shouldn’t have. After meeting and getting to know [Candace], she was just like any other person… and the friendship made me a lot more empathetic to their plight.”
As it can be seen by Mr. Nakagawa’s actions, it provided Candace with the foundation to live a happier life. It did not harm Mr. Nakagawa to be nice and supportive of his co-worker and it was very rewarding to Candace. All he had to do was get to know Candace to realize her suffering and try to help. By treating Candace like any other human being, he can remain open minded on transgender subjects. Unlike Mr. Nakagawa, there are many companies and workers who leave transgenders as targets for harrassment, treating them like trash. The one thing that people must do before judging another is to get to know and understand that person and their problems. Just realize that transgenders are people
too.