Vanessa Sheridan is an American expert consultant, published author, speaker, and trainer who has dedicated much of her professional life to increasing public understanding of transgender people and their experiences. Since 1991, she has worked to promote transgender awareness, offering guidance and education to organizations seeking to create more inclusive environments. One of her principal areas of expertise is transgender inclusion in the workplace, where she helps employers understand the challenges faced by transgender employees and the importance of treating everyone with dignity, fairness, and respect. Sheridan is also an influential author whose work explores the relationship between transgender identity, Christian faith, spirituality, and social justice. Her books include Cross Purposes: On Being Christian and Crossgendered (1999), Crossing Over: Liberating the Transgendered Christian (2001), and Transgender Journeys (2003), co-written with Virginia Ramey Mollenkott. Her pioneering writing on transgender spirituality earned recognition as a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award.
In 2009, she published The Complete Guide to Transgender in the Workplace, a groundbreaking book offering practical advice to employers, human resources professionals, and transgender employees. Drawing on her experience working with organizations, including major corporations, she addressed workplace discrimination and outlined ways to improve company policies, professional relationships, and opportunities for transgender people. Beyond her writing and consulting, Vanessa has held leadership and advisory positions in organizations dedicated to equality and inclusion, including serving as Executive Director of the Institute for Transgender Economic Advancement, as a member of the national Transgender Advisory Committee for Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, and on the advisory board of GLBTQ Online High School. She was also the first transgender member of the board of directors of the Stonewall National Museum and Archives. Through her diverse professional activities, Sheridan has worked to challenge misconceptions, promote understanding, and advance the equality of transgender people in both religious and professional settings.
Monika: Hello Vanessa, it is a true pleasure and an honor to welcome you today.
Vanessa: Hello Monika, and thank you for this invitation. I’m delighted to be with you and am very honored to be included with some of the other amazing individuals whom you have previously interviewed. I appreciate the opportunity to share some thoughts with you and your readers.
Monika: To begin, how would you introduce yourself to readers who are meeting you for the first time?
Vanessa: I’m a fairly boring person and don’t think I’m all that interesting. I am passionate, however, about doing what I can to help the transgender community achieve equality in society. I’ve been committed to that goal since 1991 and will continue until we get there or until I die, whichever comes first. Toward that end, I write, speak, consult, train, and do as much as possible to educate the public about the transgender phenomenon. We transfolk are a legitimate asset to the world, and the rest of the population needs to learn the truth about us.
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Monika: Five years have passed since the release of your book “The Complete Guide to Transgender in the Workplace” (2009), which offers recommendations for improving the cultural climate and quality of life for transgender workers. Have any new trends emerged in the treatment of transgender employees since then?
Vanessa: Happily, I can answer in the affirmative. My book was the first full-length, hardcover book on this topic ever released by a mainstream publisher. This was, paradoxically, both good and bad. I was delighted that the book was exposed to a mainstream audience but saddened by the fact that it was only the first of its kind. We need many more solid, factual resources that can help the business community.
Monika: Beyond the book itself, which developments since 2009 stand out to you the most?
Vanessa: In terms of new trends for the treatment of transgender employees, I’m glad to say that several things have happened since 2009, all of which bode well for us. For example, many parts of the world, particularly Europe, have come a long way in terms of legal protections for transgender citizens. Here in the U.S., there have been some remarkable court cases and legal actions that improve life, affirm transgender realities, and create new opportunities for transgender workers. The corporate sphere has continued to embrace the transgender phenomenon in positive ways, and gender identity/gender expression is becoming increasingly common for Fortune 500 companies as well as for growing numbers of states and municipalities.
Monika: Has that progress reached areas such as health care, and how far along is the movement as a whole?
Vanessa: Transgender health care has become more accessible for many. More resources have been created, more momentum has been built, and transgender equality, once only a pipe dream, is moving toward becoming a tangible reality, at least in some places. Additionally, we’ve seen more people and organizations become involved in the transgender-in-the-workplace movement in general, which is encouraging. Still, there is a tremendous amount of work left to be done, and we cannot stop or even slow down until full equality is the norm for every transgender worker. We will not achieve our civil/human rights by merely asking for them or depending on the largesse of others. It doesn’t work that way and never has. Instead, we must struggle and demand and educate and lobby and strive unceasingly to achieve and maintain those rights. If we don’t do all of those things, we will never attain our rights or else we’ll lose them quickly.
Monika: Fortune 500 companies are visibly changing their transgender policies. What does the picture look like for small and medium-sized businesses?
Vanessa: It’s an ongoing journey for acceptance and equality in many of those organizations. Some companies get it and are already doing the right thing with regard to transgender inclusion. Others don’t have a clue and trans inclusion isn’t even on their radar yet. Some don’t feel it’s an issue that needs or deserves attention. In smaller organizations, it’s often difficult to introduce a new or unfamiliar issue such as transgender, especially if there’s no overtly visible transgender presence in that organization. That’s why it’s so important to make people aware of the necessity for a more diverse and inclusive workforce that includes transgender workers.
Monika: How can that gap be closed?
Vanessa: The only cure for ignorance is education, which is why I spend so much of my time speaking and training in the business community. One thing that’s especially critical is to make employers, recruiters, and HR professionals aware of changing local, state, and federal laws. Also, with the 2012 U.S. federal EEOC ruling about transgender discrimination (re Macy v. Holder), it’s essential that businesses be educated about possible discrimination lawsuits. Since transgender inclusion is becoming the norm for many major corporations, the trickle-down effect is also beginning to slowly be felt in medium to smaller-sized businesses as well. We’re seeing more public awareness, more legal action, and more business initiatives that are driving the movement for transgender equality in the workplace. I find that exhilarating and exciting, to say the least.
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Monika: Transgender people usually make up only a small minority of a company’s staff. How do you convince employers that treating them fairly will lead to higher productivity and better profitability?
Vanessa: The point is not that there are relatively few transgender employees; it’s that transgender equality and inclusion are beneficial to any organization. There are so many valid business reasons to do this, all of which are usually very persuasive to employers.
Monika: Which concrete benefits do you point to when making that case?
Vanessa: For example, the fair treatment of transgender employees can enhance an organization’s cultural competence, help a business achieve a competitive advantage in the marketplace, and raise awareness and improve teamwork. It can also demonstrate an organization’s commitment to equality for every employee, improve internal branding among employees, and help a company be a diversity leader within its industry.
In addition, it can provide positive PR and community relations and improve recruiting and retention of top talent. In particular, Millennials, Gen X, and Gen Y workers expect their companies to be diverse and open to different kinds of people, and young talent wants to work in organizations where their LGBT friends can work, too. Finally, it can increase the pool of potential breakthrough ideas by hiring people with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and worldviews, since homogeneity of talent can be the death of an organization in today’s competitive marketplace. These are just some examples of the strong business case for transgender inclusion and full equality on the job. The business reasons are indisputable, and increasing numbers of organizations around the world are recognizing the many advantages of transgender equality in the workplace.
Monika: Would it make sense to treat the issues of transgender employees as part of the broader LGBT community’s agenda?
Vanessa: I have always believed that transpersons have more in common with lesbian, gay, and bisexual people than we don’t, especially in terms of the human need for social equality. Therefore, allying ourselves with those communities really ought to be a no-brainer for us. We can certainly achieve more through unity and coalition than we can by pulling apart and making enemies.
Monika: You have collaborated with many LGBT colleagues over the years. Does the transgender community still face concerns that set it apart?
Vanessa: I have worked closely with many wonderful gay, bi, and lesbian people over the years, many of whom were in HR or corporate LGBT Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), to help make a difference for all of us. I’m well aware that the transgender community has its own unique set of issues and concerns, and I don’t mean to minimize those in any way. For example, we transfolk are, by definition and in general, focused more on gender identity and gender expression than we are on sexual orientation. Those are different sides of the same human coin.
Monika: With those differences in mind, where do you land on the question of working together?
Vanessa: Nevertheless, our similarities always trump our differences, at least in my opinion. Why not work together in an effort to achieve equality for everyone? You know, I’ve often heard it said that “A rising tide lifts all boats.” That’s true enough, but it only works if you actually have a boat; otherwise, you’ll simply drown when the tide comes in. That’s why I encourage all of us to become boat builders so that when the tide rises, our boat will hold more of us and we can all rise together.
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Monika: Your books “Cross Purposes: On Being Christian and Crossgendered” (1999), “Crossing Over: Liberating the Transgendered Christian” (2001), and “Transgender Journeys” (2003) led to you being profiled as a “leader in religious movements for justice for LGBT persons.” Would you agree that accepting rather than persecuting transgender Christians is biblically rooted and consistent with the teachings of Jesus?
Vanessa: In those books, I demonstrated why the oppression of transgender persons by Christians is antithetical to everything that Jesus taught and modeled. Most religious persecution of transpeople is due to emotional insecurity, valueless and discriminatory traditions, and inaccurate interpretations of certain scripture passages, which are usually taken out of context, then skewed further and applied in a mean-spirited manner. Those are some of the several reasons why I have chosen to purposely begin distancing myself from the institution of religion and now focus more on personal spirituality.
Monika: Does the Bible contain any reference to this subject?
Vanessa: There is a strong case to be made, and we don’t have enough time or space to do it here. I would simply encourage people to find a copy of my books, or contact me personally if they’re interested and want to buy them, so they can read about it for themselves. As I have continued to learn and grow and progress in my own spirituality, I find I have less and less interest in (and tolerance for) organized religion. It simply does not enhance my life the way I once believed it did. I’ve discovered that I don’t necessarily need a church or a denomination to meet my personal spiritual needs. Together, God and I can do that quite well on our own. I don’t tell others what to think or believe in this regard. I’m only sharing what works for me.
Monika: Tell me about your own transition. At what age did it happen, was it a difficult process, and did your family or friends stand by you?
Vanessa: This may surprise or even shock a whole lot of people who may have made some assumptions about my gender status, but I have never transitioned physically from male to female and have no intention of doing so. While I identify as transgender and am very committed to the trans community, I am not transsexual and have never desired to change my sex. Frankly, I don’t have a transsexual bone in my body. However, I honestly don’t think that should matter one iota to anyone else in the larger scheme of things. What DOES matter, I believe, is that I identify as transgender and have spent the last couple of decades out on the front lines standing up and trying to make a positive difference for our community. Like everyone, I have the right to self-determination and self-identification. I choose to identify as transgender, and I’m perfectly content with who and what I am. If anyone has a problem with that, then that’s just what it is: their problem, not mine.
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Monika: Around the time of your journey, did any transgender role models guide you?
Vanessa: Again, I have not transitioned and don’t intend to. However, I have many transgender role models who have influenced and inspired me during my journey to this point. We humans are a model-driven species, and we all stand on the shoulders of those who have come before us or even march along beside us. I think of people like the friendly, welcoming, supportive members of the very first transgender support group that I attended so long ago.
Monika: What did those early group members give you, and who else shaped your path?
Vanessa: They were the first people I met in the trans community, and they generously gave me the confidence and encouragement I needed to be able to start writing and speaking publicly. I think of my friends Jane Fee, Denise Norris, Dr. Jamison Green, Dr. Jillian Weiss, and of pioneers like Christine Jorgensen and, yes, even the controversial Virginia Prince. They have all impacted my life in different ways. There are so many others who have demonstrated tremendous courage, paved the way, modeled integrity, and helped me learn more about who I am. I’m grateful to all of those who have made a difference for me.
Monika: Coming out is often the hardest chapter. What was the most difficult part for you?
Vanessa: I’m still coming out. I come out all the time. It’s a process, not an event. But the hardest thing for me has always been overcoming my own fear of rejection and/or ridicule from someone else. I think that’s almost a universal experience for transpeople. As I’ve matured, I tend to worry a little less about what others may think of me, but I do care and want to be liked. So being afraid of negative reactions is the hardest part for me. That doesn’t stop me from being who I am, and it doesn’t send me scurrying back into the closet, but it’s an obstacle that needs to be overcome.
Monika: How do you see the present situation of transgender women in American society?
Vanessa: Over the past couple of decades we have come a long way in terms of visibility and viability, but I know we still have a long, long way to go before we have achieved full equality and acceptance on a social level. The only way that will happen is through education, and it’s incumbent upon all of us to do whatever we can to let people know about the truth and integrity of our transgender lives. Transgender women are strong, smart, capable, and can do anything if provided with the opportunity. I’ve seen that demonstrated over and over again, and we’ve only scratched the surface of our potential to make magnificent contributions to the world. We need and deserve full equality under the law because we are intrinsically valuable human beings and citizens. We have to find ways to elect politicians who will pass the laws we need, and then we must be about the business of living into our potential.
END OF PART 1
All the photos: courtesy of Vanessa Sheridan.
© 2014 - Monika Kowalska
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