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)
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
“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
“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