1 of 11

How to Support (Not Just Accept) Gender Fluidity In the Workplace

Carter Stepanovsky

2 of 11

A caveat

My story only represents my experience

3 of 11

Introductions

Pronouns: They, Them, Theirs
Based in Lyons, CO
Senior Business Architect (aka Consultant) at Kapost
Parent of 2 daughters (5.5 & 2 yo)
Lover of podcasts, all water sports (fly fishing, paddle boarding, kayaking) and traveling

4 of 11

Why talk about support instead of acceptance?

For Gender Expansive Employees

Bolster awareness and acceptance
Make the journey easier for others
Share successes
Co-create tools

For Organizations

Expose blind spots

Blind spots are unconscious biases that can narrow your vision and potentially influence your behaviors

Share resources
Deconstruct assumptions and build support
Generate discussion
Co-create tools

5 of 11

What is gender?

Gender is a socially constructed definition of women and men.

Sex = male, female and intersex
Gender = masculine, feminine and everything in between and beyond

Sex refers to biological differences; chromosomes, hormonal profiles, internal and external sex organs.��Gender describes the characteristics that a society or culture delineates as masculine or feminine.

Source

6 of 11

The Gender Unicorn

S ource

Gender Identity: Gender Identity: One’s internal sense of being male, female, neither of these, both, or another gender(s). Everyone has a gender identity, including you. For transgender people, their sex assigned at birth and their own internal sense of gender identity are not the same. Female, woman, and girl and male, man, and boy are also NOT necessarily linked to each other but are just six common gender identities.

Gender Expression/Presentation: The physical manifestation of one’s gender identity through clothing, hairstyle, voice, body shape, etc. Most transgender people seek to make their gender expression (how they look) match their gender identity (who they are), rather than their sex assigned at birth.

Sex Assigned at Birth: The assignment and classification of people as male, female, intersex, or another sex based on a combination of anatomy, hormones, chromosomes. It is important we don’t simply use “sex” because of the vagueness of the definition of sex and its place in transphobia. Chromosomes are frequently used to determine sex from prenatal karyotyping (although not as often as genitalia). Chromosomes do not determine genitalia.

Sexually Attracted To: Sexual Orientation. It is important to note that sexual and romantic/emotional attraction can be from a variety of factors including but not limited to gender identity, gender expression/presentation, and sex assigned at birth.

Romantically/Emotionally Attracted To: Romantic/emotional orientation. It is important to note that sexual and romantic/emotional attraction can be from a variety of factors including but not limited to gender identity, gender expression/presentation, and sex assigned at birth.

7 of 11

My Story

8 of 11

My Process

Find an accepting culture
Early conversations with People Ops

Open communication around timing and planning
Resources for additional learning

Gain alignment with Leadership on overall plan

Leadership communication to company
Personal communication to company
Leadership communication to customers
Personal communication to customers
Resources for additional learning

Neverending coming out ...

9 of 11

Takeaways: Attracting Gender Diverse Employees

Check your Blind Spots:

Company values
Your website
Benefits options
Solicit feedback & commit to iterating
Restrooms
Job applications & form options
Community participation
Own your gaps and goals

10 of 11

Takeaways: Retaining Gender Diverse Employees

Foster environment of inclusion and communication

Mentor programs
Be proactive about recognizing people’s different capabilities
Attend professional affinity groups and inclusiveness events to enrich your understanding of the diversity

Establish clearly-defined, measurable criteria against which all employees will be evaluated
Consider an external D&I assessment to build a culture advocacy and accountability
Logistics:

Restrooms
Change forms
Communication

Modeling by leadership
Accessible People Ops resources
Ongoing professional development for employees to build knowledge
Seek out regular feedback and adjust as needed

11 of 11

Places to start