Kicking off Trans Awareness Week, James Blake (Executive Director at Trans Matters Now Services Network) talks to myGwork about his experience of being trans and disabled, and what he thinks companies can do to improve working conditions for transgender people.

Image Credit: Canva

Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and your career to date?

For 11 years I worked in the medical field. Then a back injury disabled me for 10 years while I recovered through physical therapy. I spent over a year with very limited mobility, using a wheelchair. After that stint, through physical therapy, I was able to switch to walking with a cane. I used a cane for several years, but have been cane free for about a year now. I lost my career in nursing along the path of disability. However, I've spent the majority of my time volunteering for trans and LGBTQ specific organanizations, for the past six years. Currently, I am working for a great company now, doing shipping and receiving.

Image Credit: James Blake

If you feel comfortable sharing, could you tell us about your experience of coming out to friends and family?

Coming out to friends and family was harder than I thought it would be. A handful of folks from my past are still a part of my life through social media. But my family (save two cousins) have disowned me. My two oldest and best friends, who would make comments to me such as "you're the manliest woman I know", I thought would "get it" and understand where I was coming from when telling them about being transgender. But they didn't, and I lost their friendship and support. Honestly, that hurt worse than losing my family.

I sincerely felt that though my family may not be able to understand, my closest friends would. However, I was wrong.

What does your workplace do to ensure a safe and inclusive work environment for trans people?

The company I work for is great. They don't make a big deal about the fact that I'm transgender, and I really appreciate not being the one that sticks out. People treat me well here and I fit in with the crew, which is so affirming for me.

Did you have any visible trans figures to look up to at the start of your career? Depending on your answer, how much did this impact your confidence in the workplace?

People such as Andrea Zekis, Jacie Leopold, Fallon Fox, and Miss Major Griffin, living their truths and overcoming hardships and obstacles to be who they are, and flourish have really been inspirational. Seeing their journeys over the last several years and how they've individually been challenged as trans people kept me going, in the face of adversity.

What do you think is the next course of action to improve conditions for trans people in the workplace and in wider society?

Trans people are capable, strong, and resilient. We are here to stay and keeping us at arm’s length in the workplace is detrimental to our businesses. Workplaces should explicitly include "gender identity and gender expression" in their inclusion statements. Trans-awareness training for HR, supervisors, and staff members should be provided. Trans employees deserve to be able to use their preferred name on work badges, name tags, and in company communications. A transgender person's wages and salaries should be comparable to cisgender peers. Trans people are earning degrees at the same or similar rates as our cisgender peers. We deserve to have a seat at the table and to feel a sense of belonging and welcome from our co-workers and business leaders. We, as trans people, want to succeed, and deserve for our paths to livelihood to be safe, equitable, and sustainable.

Find out more about James Blake's work towards supporting the trans community at Trans Matters Now, and connect with him on his myGwork profile.

myGwork is celebrating Trans Awareness Week with a panel on November 16, commemorating Trans Remembrance Week. Sign up now to hear unique experiences from transgender panelists and discussions with allies of the community, as they talk through how to empower trans and gender nonconforming lives. Register here, for free!

Related myGwork articles:

Tate Opens up on Being a Trans Man in the Workplace (Interview)

Daniel Coletti on Trans Allyship

Trans Awareness Week: Interview With Emma Palethorpe