Thriving While Trans in the Workplace and Beyond #2

Hello there,

Thank you for joining us for our second installment of “Thriving While Trans in the Workplace and Beyond”. We previously mentioned that a lot of trans folks don’t get recognized for their work, at work. Since roughly half of us aren't comfortable being out among our coworkers, we want to do something - we want to shine a spotlight on folks who are thriving in their career and beyond, while also giving advice to uplift others in our community, in order to help them pursue their career dreams and live their authentic self.

The majority of people who work at Plume are transgender, nonbinary, or gender-nonconforming, including our co-founder, Dr. Jerrica Kirkley (she/her). Jerrica has a tattoo that says, "full self, authentic self", which lives on in our company values and performance goals. Last time, we spoke with Tiffany (she/her), one of our care coordinators. This month, we are sitting down with Jay-Xavier (he/him), who is a Sr Care Coordinator, to learn more about the way he presents authentically and thrives at work and beyond.

Question 1: What motivated you to pursue a career in transgender health care?

Jay-Xavier: I have worked in the healthcare field for approximately 15 years as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and have always had the drive to help others in my work. As an individual, I faced barriers to accessing my own healthcare, particularly when I began seeking Gender Affirming Hormone Therapy (GAHT). I didn’t have access to medical providers nor professionally-prescribed medication at the beginning of my transition. As a result, my own mental health suffered greatly, but I personally found a way to acquire the medication – which was very risky and not something I would recommend to anyone. I wanted to be part of the systemic solution to this problem and help other transgender and non-binary people access the care they need and deserve. 

Question 2: How have you been able to make a positive impact in the transgender community?

Jay-Xavier: I have always had a passion for mentoring transgender youth, and working in my own community to be a positive role model for LGBTQ+ young people and their families. I work with local non-profit and community organizations to share my story, provide support and resources, offer counseling and coaching to parents of trans youth, and have provided educational workshops for young queer and trans people and those who serve them.

Question 3: What advice would you give to another LGBTQ+ person looking to further their career?

Jay-Xavier: I would advise them to find mentors and utilize networking. This is a key factor, not only when seeking a new job, but can be helpful for coaching/mentoring purposes. Sometimes we do not see our own potential - working with trusted individuals allows us to take an honest inventory of our strong areas, and also the areas where we can grow. I also suggest feeling resolute in who you are — your gender and sexuality can be an asset to your work, or it can have a minimal impact, but it should not be a factor that holds you back. If you aren’t being respected in your role or organization, or you are being discriminated against because of your LGBTQ+ status (either overtly or covertly), then find another job. It may not be easy, but it is important for one’s sense of self to feel seen and valued. 

Question 4: What does visibility mean to you in the context of work or your daily life? 

Jay-Xavier: When I was growing up, I was not able to find representation of people I could relate to, or look to as a role model, especially in the media. Depictions and portrayals of trans people were largely stereotypical and negative, and they centered around white people and often made a mockery of what it is like to be transgender and gender expansive. I recommend people who have not seen it check out the film Disclosure on Netflix, because it truly captures what it was like in the ‘80s, ‘90s and 2000s, and how detrimental it was to lack the ability to see positive examples of trans people in the media. As a result, and because my household was neither accepting of queerness nor transness, I questioned myself, and had significant internalized transphobia which lead to depression and anxiety symptoms. I eventually found myself, and began the work to learn to like myself and become the man I was always meant to be. When I finally felt comfortable in my own skin, my mental health improved, and I was committed to not letting young folks go through the same thing I did. I vowed to be public about who I am and to always try to be the best version of myself, while being honest about my flaws, my growth and my journey. I want to be someone that I needed growing up, and I hope that for the youth I mentor and those in my community they can see a little bit of themselves in me also. 

Question 5: What measures have you taken to ensure inclusivity in your everyday life?

Jay-Xavier: As a Black/Indigenous transgender man who is polyamorous and who does not subscribe to organized religion, I am hyper-aware of the impact and implications of living within the margins of society and existing outside of mainstream norms. I think often about intersectionality and the importance of inclusivity. My chosen family is comprised of people of various ages, races, cultures, education, and income levels. A key factor for me is equity, working consciously to create equal outcomes as much as possible. I also place great importance on dignity and intentionally treating everyone with regards to having equal worth and inherent value. I try to empower those around me by uplifting them, reminding them of their strengths and resilience, and celebrating our differences rather than letting them divide us. 

Question 6: What measures have you taken to ensure inclusivity in your everyday life?

Jay-Xavier: When I volunteer, mentor, and otherwise provide support to and for the transgender community, I focus on some of my core values in order to demonstrate my capacity for leadership. Some of these values include authenticity, vulnerability, humor, connection, harmony, sharing of information/education, growth, and equity. I use these values to guide my service to my community when I do speaking engagements, provide empowering workshops to LGBTQ+ youth, offer support to trans parents and youth, and support my partners in their work serving the HIV+ community.

Question 7: What advice would you give to someone looking to become a leader in the transgender community?

Jay-Xavier: I would suggest getting comfortable in your own skin, in terms of self-awareness and self-actualization. Therapy has been a life-saver for me, literally, as has being able to access professional gender-affirming medical care. If I hadn’t done this work on myself, I would not be able to provide the level of care and support I do to the transgender community. I would also suggest finding the self-care practices that work for you, because while leadership is extremely fulfilling, it is also emotionally draining and labor-intensive a lot of the time. Lastly, I would suggest tapping into one’s strengths and doing what genuinely feels good — there are many ways to be a leader, and none are right nor wrong, so it’s important to find the ways that work for you. Leaders can look like friends, peer supporters, counselors, educators, speakers, writers, artists, researchers, medical/mental health workers, and much, much more!

We wish to extend our gratitude to Jay-Xavier for sharing his experience, as well as his thoughts, insights, and wisdom with us, when it comes to living as his authentic self, uplifting the transgender and gender-nonconforming community, and how he thrives in work and beyond! We hope that you enjoyed getting to know Jay-Xavier and that you gained some insightful knowledge for how to pursue your own professional and leadership goals, as well as some inspiration for living your truth. 

Stay tuned for our next post in the series featuring another one of our fantastic team members, and be sure to subscribe and share to uplift more LGBTQIA+ folks!

Sincerely,

The Plume Team