Success in Ohio

From the Columbus, Ohio Dispatch:

"Returning to work after a long vacation can be a shock, but when some top brass at the Columbus marketing company Resource came back from the beach last year, a true surprise was in store. Shelly Moss, a creative director at the company, had some big news for HR director Jamie Barcelona and company founder Nancy Kramer: Moss is transgender and was transitioning into a man who thereafter would use the first name Decker. “My initial reaction was, ‘Wow! This is a day I thought I’d never have,'" Barcelona said. “ Then you instantly go into, ‘How am I going to handle this? What do I need to do?'"

"Decker (center)"

At Resource, that was definitely OK. For decades, the marketing company has been in the forefront in dealing with such issues. Resource was one of the first in Ohio to offer same-sex partner benefits; and in 2007, Kramer testified in front of Congress in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA. This revelation was entirely new ground, however, and Moss didn’t know if anyone had ever presented a similar case. Legally, he was in somewhat murky territory. Transgender status is not explicitly protected under federal or Ohio anti-discrimination laws, said Jim Petrie, chairman of Bricker & Eckler’s labor & employment practice group. However, “the U.S. 6th Circuit has held that persons identified as transgender may be protected under Title VII if the employer discriminates against them based on their inability to conform to sex stereotypes,” Petrie said. “Moreover, a Columbus city ordinance expressly prohibits employers from discriminating against a person because of his/her gender identity or expression."


Interestingly,  as most of us know who navigate society as a transgender person, what does the term mean to others?  Barcelona echoed that thought and said  the biggest thing was understanding what does transgender mean and going from there.

As always, there is more and you can read it here.

The Wonder of Diversity

Everyonce in a while here in Cyrsti's Condo, as dawn is breaking, (also known as the butt crack of dawn) I have a chance to surf around and visit some of the bloggers I link up with here and who they link up with. This morning I landed on Marian's Blog, Crossing T's and Dotting I's, and read her "Scratching an Itch" post which primarily dealt with shopping. From her blog I jumped to a blog I'm not linked to Call Me Meg. Her recent post "Not Trans But..." caught my attention there. What was that all about?

Marian and Meg are about all of us in some small way as is the less than glamorous trans sex worker who has plied her trade in my town for years. I used to say yikes and ran as hard as I could from believing I had anything in common with her. Who knows though we all may be linked with a transgender gene as yet non discovered? I certainly came away with a different view of some of the poor trans kids who end up on the streets when I met a former one at Trans-Ohio this year. Sure I can relate to the Marian's, Meg's and Stana's of the world because of similar social upbringings but am I missing the big picture?

Two things are certain. We are an ancient tribe which quite possibly traces it's roots to the first caveman who tried on the woman's loin cloth and went out to collect berries instead of going on the hunt for a Mastodon. And, we are a highly egocentric group for any number of reasons. Putting on my "shrink" cap for a second, I think it is tough not to be.  Most of us are hidden in our own closets for so long, it's tough to break out of the "it's my world, don't mess with it" lifestyle.

As normally happens, dawn has broken here in western Ohio as has my dog's usual summer battle with fleas. It's time to hope my back is better and embark on a epic wrestling match at a local self serve dog wash. She is not small, very stubborn and has a very thick coat of fur. A lot like me without the fur!

Cyrsti's Condo Words to Live By

"The world is three drinks behind, when it catches up - it will be a better place to live."
Humphrey Bogart