Bringin’ Home the Bacon:Transgender Men’s Experiences in

the Workplace

Caroline

Duble

Why trans men? Why the

workplace?

Thesis Statement

Through survey data collection and a

theoretical framework encompassing history,

theory, and statistical data about trans men, I

portray both individual lived experiences and

macrolevel social patterns affecting

respondents. This research brings the

experiences of my respondents into the light

in order to de-marginalize trans men,

particularly in their places of work.

Research Questions(1) Do trans men with

emotionally supportive communities have higher workplace satisfaction?

(2) Is conforming to standards of hegemonic masculinity at work important for trans men?

(3) Are trans men who perceive themselves as masculine typically more satisfied with their work?

(4) Do trans men living in states with legislation protecting gender identity from discrimination have better

Theoretical Framework

1. Cultural norms connected to gender are socially constructed(Butler, Nagoshi and Brzuzy)

2. Hegemonic masculinity is limiting and harmful for male-identified people and everyone else(Carrigan, Connell and Lee, Altman)

3. Transgender people are an incredibly diverse demographic who do not have one singular experience(Nagoshi and Brzuzy, Lane, Schilt)

4. Destabilizing normalcy and popular conception of gender is beneficial for society as a whole

(Excerpt from DUDE Transmasculine Magazine,

Issue #1)

Participant

s Geographic Diversity

Race

White orCaucasian

Multiracial

NativeAmerican

Black orAfricanAmericanJewish

Asian

Latino

Other

1.5%

4%

Participant

s

66.7%

9.7%

6.9%

5.6%

Education Levels

Some highSchool

High schooldegree orGED

Some collegecredit

Associatedegree

Bachelor'sdegree

Master'sdegree

Professionaldegree

40.3%

6.9%

33.3%

6.9%

4.2%2.8%

Participant

sPosition at Work

Employee

Supervisors orManagers

Self-Employment

Self-DirectedWork

19.7%

5.6%

12.5%

59.2%

Field of Work

Administrative

Manufacturing

Technology

Academia

Art Industry

Service Industry

Food Industry

Engineering

Physical Labor

Activist Work

Other

42.3%

14.4%

9.7%

5.6%

7%

5.6%

Participant

s

Race

White or Caucasian

Multiracial

Native American

Black or AfricanAmerican

Jewish

Asian

Latino

Other

Education Levels

Some high School

High school degree orGED

Some college credit

Associate degree

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Professional degree

Findings

VARIABLES

• Workplace

Satisfaction

• Support Systems

Outside of Work

• Relationship with

Coworkers

• Legal Atmosphere

• Perceived Masculinity

Work Satisfaction Scores

Participants' Scores

0 points

1 - 4 points

5 - 8 points

9 - 12 points

13 - 16 points

45.8%

6.9%

9.7%

15.3%

22.2%

“I enjoy my job for what it is. I work with amazing people. Although, I am at a point in my life where I feel a bit stuck. I haven't quite figured out how to do what I want to be doing, make money, and be me. Surgery is one thing in the way of that. Saving money for medical costs, even working a living wage job, is difficult when insurance doesn't cover many trans* related expenses.”

--Trans*, 23, North Carolina, Service Industry

“It’s okay. I'm kind of burnt out in my field, but it is also one of the more 'safe' fields for trans/GNC/queer people to be out.”

--Trans-butch, 29, New York, Program

Support SystemFriends, Family, Partners, and involvement in trans organizations

This photo depicts a trans man showing his friend

scars from chest surgery (DUDE magazine).

Partner Impact

10 10.5 11 11.5 12 12.5 13 13.5

Respondent Has Partner

Respondent Does NotHave Partner

WorkplaceSatisfactionScores

Support System

“Of all the people I know, my partner 'gets' it the most. My partner is

unflaggingly supportive not just of me, but of trans people in general and the

idea that our genders are as real and valid as the genders of cis people.”

--Man of Trans Experience, 33, Rhode Island, Patron Service Worker at an Academic Library

Relationship with Coworkers

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

Not Supportive

Supportive

WorkplaceSatisfactionScores

“I work at a small bank, there are only 8 or 9

of us total, the managers were on board

with me transitioning on the job and did a

great job of stepping up and leading when

it came time to switching to my chosen

name and they ordered me a new name

badge even though legally I haven't

changed my name yet. My co-workers

struggle at times with the name/pronoun

thing but overall they are trying. I haven't

had a negative reaction from any of them.”--Trans guy, 24, Wisconsin, Bank Teller

Legal Atmosphere

Movement Advancement Project

“Some ass is always going to find a way around the law to fire you or make you quit. A popular method I saw at my previous employer that I disagree with, was overloading a person to the point of enormous stress, making them quit, or to the point of overloading them to show they weren't reaching quotas or goals, thus requiring termination.”

--Two spirit, 39, Illinois, E-mail Marketing Manager

State’s Legal Status

State has protection laws

States does not haveprotection laws

Respondent does not know

31.3%

43.3%

25.8%

Options for Trans Workers

• State and Local

Judicial Arguments

• Title VII of the 1964

Civil Rights Act

• Employment Non-

Discrimination Act

National Center for Transgender Equality

Perceived Masculinity Scale

“The friends who are aware are ones who knew me before I socially or physically transitioned. I "pass" completely now and prefer for people not to know unless I desire to be intimate with them. The other exception to this would be a close, platonic friendship with someone whose life and personal history I know well. I do not want special attention for being trans, nor do I want to be the trans*cyclopedia of Britannica. I just want to live my life as the person I should have been all along.”

“In the area that I work in, it is most male predominant and after coming out and identifying as male, I have seen a change in how people treat me. When I was reffing as a female, male players would always question my calls and think that I was incompetent to ref because of my gender. When I started working as a male, the players didn't question me as much and respected me a lot more.”

----FTM, Texas, 22, Program Assistant and Referee for University of Texas Intramurals

“The only discomfort I experience is when the men on the crew make racist, homophobic or sexist comments. I am still trying to figure how to be assertive in these situations because I now have male privilege, but it is hard to break the habit of keeping my head down.”

--Trans Man, 22, Oregon, Logging Crew: Heavy Duty Labor and Inventory of Timber

Significance

Calls for Federal

Legislation

Leads to Further

Research

Destabilizes gender

norms

Painting by Cooper Lee Bombardier, famous trans male artist

References

Altman, D. 1971. Homosexual: Oppression and Liberation. New York, NY:

Outerbridge & Dienstfrey.

Bender-Baird, Kyla. 2011. Transgender Workplace Experiences. Albany:

State University of New York Press.

Butler, J. 1990. Gender trouble: Feminism and the subversion of identity.

New York, NY: Routledge.

Carrigan, Tim, Bob Connell, and John Lee. 1985. “Toward a New Sociology

of Masculinity.” Theory and Society, 14(5): 551-604.

Chesebro, James W. and Koji Fuse. 2001. “The Development of a Perceived

Masculinity Scale.” Communication Quarterly 49:203-278.

Lane, R. 2009. “Trans as bodily becoming: Rethinking the biological as

diversity, not dichotomy.” Hypatia, 24: 136-157.

Movement Advancement Project. 2013. A Broken Bargain for Transgender

Workers. Denver, CO. Movement Advancement Project.

Nagoshi, J. and S. Brzuzy. 2010. “Transgender Theory: Embodying

Research and Practice.” Journal of Women and Social Work, 25(4):431-443

Schilt, K. 2010. Just One of the Guys? Transgender Men and the

Persistence of Gender Inequality. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

DUDE Transmasculinity Magazine, Issues 1, 2

and 3

Movement Advancement Project

National Center for Transgender Equality

Cooper Lee Bombardier

http://www.oddee.com/item_98038.aspx

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7

/79/Buckangel_cowboy.JPG

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2

/2d/Thomas_Beatie_p%C3%A5_Stockholm

_Pride_2011.JPG

http://realofficecenters.com/blog/wp-

content/uploads/Work-Stress-750x400.jpg

http://www.alternet.org/files/styles/story_image/p

ublic/story_images/tiredman.jpg

Theorists Photos

Acknowledgments

First and foremost, THANK YOU to all of my participants!

To the Sociology/Anthropology Department of Warren Wilson College, especially Siti Kusujiarti and Christey Carwile for their mentorship and attention to detail throughout this research

To my friends, especially Lia Kaz, Lily Kline, Nora White, Dean Schlesinger, and Lewis Pullman, for keeping me sane and for reminding me that I am smart enough to write a thesis. Thank you to Zack Wintz for coming all the way from Texas to support me, multiple times throughout the past 4 years.

To my family, for always picking up the phone and for supporting me in everything that I do

To the Service Program Staff and Crew, for always being my home away from home

Questions?