Aiming Mark

Trans Target Employee Speaks Out About Workplace Transphobia

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Although Target is trying to be a safe space for its transgender customers, their trans employees may have it a bit rougher.

Transgender Target employee Maxwell Jamison works in Phoenix, and he’s written a now-viral Facebook post about transphobic behavior he’s observed in the wake of Target’s public pro-trans stance:

Over the past week since Target announced their inclusive restroom policy following the North Carolina bathroom bill, I’ve had to endure multiple conversations regarding what rights trans people deserve. These comments coming from the guests at my store, my fellow coworkers, and even a few of my supervisors.

I have been told that trans people ought to use “the bathroom that matches their junk,” that a “man in a dress” is going to sexually assault everyone’s daughters, our store has been threatened and cursed out by guests, and the amount of rampant transphobia that’s taken place in store and online this past week has been nauseating.

So, here I am, in the men’s restroom at Target, a trans man, standing up for my trans siblings out there who’ve had to listen and read the same bullshit I’ve been experiencing. Know that for every negative thought some bigot has had about us, there are other gender-dismantling folks out there standing up for our right to use whatever restroom we please, in Target, in restaurants, in shopping malls, wherever.

There’s more where that came from, though Max says he’s received an overwhelming amount of support for speaking out about the issue.

Transphobic and insensitive language from customers is one thing, but if he’s hearing it from coworkers and supervisors, he may want to take it up with management…or an attorney.

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