Powerful portrait series brings visibility to trans professionals
You can't be what you can't see.
That increasingly popular motto is painfully true for those who aspire to greatness, but fear they'll be discriminated against or face impossible barriers because of their identities.
That's why Clair Farley, director of economic development at the San Francisco LGBT Center, created a campaign called #HireTrans, which features portraits of transgender professionals.
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As the political and cultural debate focuses on bathroom access, Farley wanted to inspire trans people to achieve their professional and creative dreams, but also draw attention to workplace inclusion and discrimination.
A National Center for Transgender Equality survey of 6,450 transgender and gender non-conforming people found that 78% of respondents reported experiencing "direct discrimination and mistreatment" by coworkers and supervisors. Those incidents included physical violence, colleagues sharing inappropriate information and being denied access to the appropriate bathroom facility.
Such treatment is more than just unfair or illegal; Farley believes it strips trans people of the right to pursue their talents and contribute to their communities.
"Work can be something that it is an expression of love or passion," Farley says. "That’s why I feel so committed to making sure that trans people or queer people have access to jobs."
The #HireTrans campaign, which launched Wednesday and runs until the end of Pride Month, highlights more than a dozen trans professionals, including a software engineer, park ranger and a pediatric oncology nurse. Scroll down to meet some of them.
Penny, United States Park Ranger
Donna, Advocate and Performer
Ms. Peaches Montrice, Performer and Advocate
Caleb, Lawyer
Alic, Pediatric Oncology Nurse
Daphne, Actress, Writer, Software Engineer
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Topics LGBTQ
Rebecca Ruiz is a Senior Reporter at Mashable. She frequently covers mental health, digital culture, and technology. Her areas of expertise include suicide prevention, screen use and mental health, parenting, youth well-being, and meditation and mindfulness. Rebecca's experience prior to Mashable includes working as a staff writer, reporter, and editor at NBC News Digital and as a staff writer at Forbes. Rebecca has a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and a masters degree from U.C. Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism.
