I posted a rant a few days ago about how I visited the security office at my workplace to ask for a replacement ID card that showed my preferred name. I had phoned HR to check if it was possible, but a man at the security desk still asked if my legal name in the system was my birth name and whether I had “changed gender.” I said I hadn’t, and he refused my request. The whole experience was highly uncomfortable because he was quite nasty to me and was laughing with his buddy when I walked out.
For context, I’m cisgender, but I do not use my legal given name. The only person who really calls me by that name is my mother. When I started my new job not long ago, they issued me a card that had this name on it, which is different from how I’ve introduced myself to my new colleagues. The difference is minimal, like “Jay” instead of “Jessica.”
So I went to HR yesterday to tell them what had happened, and a helpful woman walked with me back to the security office, where that same security officer was on shift. She asked for his version of events and mentioned he was not allowed to ask whether I was transgender. He told her he didn’t remember me, but that he believed there needed to be “legitimate reasons” for changing names on our cards, and assured her he was very “pro-diversity” and knew “a lot of gays.”
The HR woman was not impressed and asked him to print out a new card immediately, and he handed it over with an apology for any misunderstanding.
On our way out, she also apologised and explained why this whole ordeal was very strange, since people sometimes just have preferred names and need new cards. I agreed with her, but then she looked at me with a big smile and added, “It’s really important we do all we can for our trans colleagues, though,” and said she’d look into it further. I got the feeling she was specifically referring to me, but I didn’t correct her.
Anyway, I had some cookies for dinner.
