I'm FTM. Got transferred to a store where employee tells anyone who will listen (including customers) about her ex who "decided to be a trans-cat".
Started transition year and a half ago. Things are great. Got promoted and am now managing my own retail store. Been here a week. One of the long time employees here got divorced three years ago after her husband came out as a trans woman. This neighborhood is really right wing. I get Qanon customers telling me when the world is going to end (had 4 this week). Needless to say it's pretty transphobic here.
I'm not sure why, but this employee starts telling me the story of her ex. Here are the bullet points:
- came out then started wearing women's clothes without her consent
- started hrt so "he could grow titties to play with to masturbate all day" this is the only reason trans ppl take hrt
- wants to keep "his" dick because "he" thinks women with dicks are sexy, and see masturbation, above
- probably harms children
- wants to be a cat and use a litter box. (Why else would "he" enjoy anime cat girls so much? Obviously!)
There's a lot to unpack here, and she's bragging about how it caused her PTSD and now I show up and "trigger" her all over again. I'm guessing when the ex came out my employee enjoyed a great deal of attention with her story, and probably still does, but I'm not interested in hearing it all day every day. She just "doesn't know how to function" now at work with a transperson shoving it in her face (aka existing).
So work somewhere else?
I listened until she stopped talking and tried to educate her, whatever little tidbits I could try, and maybe it
helped...?
I don't pass yet, can't bind for health reasons and have a big chest that I hate. Get misgenrered all day long. Sometimes it's an honest mistake, which I blow off, and sometimes it's malicious (especially from the customers) but again, I try to blow it off. Today was 11 hour shift with her trumpeting to her customers about her new boss who thinks "she's" a man and now she must relive her trauma every day. I wanna say, "ma'am, this is a Wendy's..." kind of answer but we are also short staffed and I can't spare any employees if she quits.
When I get settled from the promotion I will address this with her, but Jesus where do I start? And how do you handle transphobic customers without losing the store money?
I'm ok just needed to vent.
I can't wait for this FUCKING election to be over so this shit goes down a notch. Fucking over it.