Montreal engineer and entrepreneur Béthanie Cloutier says of her gender transition, ‘I’m the person I always knew I was inside.’Roger Lemoyne
It took decades for Béthanie Cloutier to feel she was living as her true, authentic self. To get there, she faced numerous challenges, including fears she would lose friends, family and a business she spent decades building.
A successful structural engineer and entrepreneur based in Montreal, Ms. Cloutier now lives as a woman after transitioning in 2017. While she is very happy with her transition now, saying, “I’m the person I always knew I was inside,” Ms. Cloutier says it was a decision she did not take lightly, from both a personal and professional perspective.
“When you realize what [your] struggle really is, then you ask: ‘What do I do with this information?’” she explains. “There are kids, there’s family, there’s a spouse, there’s work. It is so overwhelming and there is an incredible amount of pressure to either make this transition or not.”
People who are transitioning can face logistical, psychological and emotional challenges in the workplace, says Olivia Baker, program manager at Fondation Émergence, a Montreal-based non-profit organization that fights homophobia and transphobia. With empathy, forethought and a commitment to equity, employers can help trans and non-binary individuals feel supported wherever they are in their transitioning journey.
Simple actions, big impact
Ms. Baker says the challenges faced by trans individuals can begin before they even step through the door.
“The first problem I’d say for trans people in the workplace is just getting hired,” says Ms. Baker, who runs ProAlly, one of Fondation Émergence’s programs that provides tools and training to help workplaces be more inclusive for LGBTQ+ people.
In fact, 30 per cent of trans women say that they were denied opportunities.
“Most of the time it’s not someone saying, ‘I don’t want to hire any trans people,’” says Ms. Baker. “Instead, [they think], ‘I would hire the person, I think they would do great, but I’m afraid of how they’re going to fit in with the team. I’m afraid of how our clients are going to react.’”
Creating trans-inclusive workplaces is essential to supporting the trans community because deciding to come out at work can be incredibly difficult, she says. When organizations are ready to handle the logistics of an employee’s transition, it can make a powerful, positive impact on their lives.
It can be something as simple as being able to easily change someone’s pronouns or name in their work email, which can make someone feel safe and supported at work, Ms. Baker says. That process is not as difficult as many organizations may think.
Béthanie Cloutier stands in front of a glass installation she worked on at Complexe Desjardins in Montreal.Roger Lemoyne
“If someone gets divorced, there is a form that an HR manager or an IT specialist uses to change that person’s marital status and their name, should they choose,” she says. “It’s the same concept, but many don’t see it that way yet. We need to think about it differently.”
Having inclusive washrooms at work is another basic, but essential, part of adaptive workplaces because this is a space where trans people can feel at their most vulnerable. A study from UCLA’s Williams Institute reported that 70 per cent of trans people have experienced negative reactions when using a toilet, with nine per cent reporting having experienced physical violence.
It’s important to be proactive in these changes by having HR managers that are trained in onboarding trans hires or people transitioning at work, says Ms. Baker.
“Don’t wait until you have a trans person coming out and you’re left in a panic,” she says. “Implement policies about what needs to happen when an employee transitions or when you have a new trans hire, in the same way that you have policies and procedures for when someone gets pregnant.”
Another strategy to consider is designating someone in the HR department to be a “transition buddy” for the person going through the process, says Ms. Baker.
“[That person] is there to help out,” she says. “They might do the follow-ups with IT [about name changes] and provide information about insurance coverage, instead of the transitioning person having to do everything themselves.”
Empathy and respect
Ms. Baker notes that one of the biggest issues for people transitioning in the workplace is misgendering.
“It sometimes takes time for people to get used to the new name or the new pronouns,” she says. “It’s not ideal but it’s understandable. The problem is when people don’t want to adapt and change. That’s when it can become harassment.” Managers can be good role models by using the correct terms and monitoring that others are doing the same.
Sometimes, fellow employees may say or do the wrong thing because they aren’t well versed on the subject, notes Ms. Baker. That’s why she suggests that everyone, at every level, should attend mandatory education around supporting trans employees.
“Ten years ago, there would not have been any policies like this happening in companies,” she says. “But now, larger companies [in particular] are starting to make these kinds of policies and procedures a priority.”
Ms. Cloutier agrees that mandatory education for employees is a crucial element of creating a trans-supportive workplace, and she feels it’s important for people to hear voices like hers. That’s why she, along with other volunteers, contributes to the testimonies presented at ProAlly sessions.
At these sessions, participants can make sense of what they may initially perceive to be a complex situation, says Ms. Cloutier. As a governor and member of the board of the Fondation Émergence, she contributes her “field” experience to the organization, which provides a wealth of LGBTQ+ statistics. She notes that education programs such as these can help transitioning employees more smoothly reintegrate into the workplace.
“Preparing a group, a department or the colleagues working with or welcoming a person that will be transitioning is the key for a smooth integration,” says Ms. Cloutier.
“In my case, I believe it would have removed some of the pressure of having to provide an explanation [for my transition] since [many people] have never been exposed to the reality of gender dysphoria and its smothering effects on a person’s life often over many years – decades in my case,” she says. (Gender dysphoria is the profound distress and discomfort that trans people can feel from the discrepancy between their known identity and their body/the way they are perceived.)
“Being at last in harmony, body and soul, has also manifested positively in my professional life,” she adds.
In addition to education and training programs, employers can celebrate the diversity of their staff by encouraging employees resource groups (ERGs) for LGBTQ+ employees and their allies, as well as hosting events where trans employees can share their stories.
Most importantly, says Ms. Cloutier, employers should treat transitioning individuals with empathy and respect as they go through what can be a challenging journey.
“Respect the pace of the individual,” she says. “Every story is our own, every situation is unique.”
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