How to Create a Gender Euphoric Workplace
A few years ago I didn’t know much (or anything really) about what it meant to be transgender. I had no clue what the terms ‘gender dysphoria’, ‘non-binary’ and ‘cisgender’ meant.
Today I’m now an openly trans business owner.
Today I’m now an openly trans business owner.
Trans Documentary from the 1980s
Everything changed when Sita (my friend and business partner) asked if I wanted to see a documentary on Trans Visibility Day. I didn’t expect a problematic documentary from the 1980s to change my life. But it did. The documentary Man into Woman: The Trans-sexual Experience was one of the first Australian films to document trans lives.
While it was incredibly dated and asked some pretty inappropriate questions, I lapped up every second of it. It was the first time I had seen real trans people on screen. The way I had always felt about my body began to make sense.
Sita has always said that, “it doesn’t cost you anything to make someone feel safer in the world”. That’s exactly what she has done since we walked out of the cinema and I said “I think I might be trans”.
While it was incredibly dated and asked some pretty inappropriate questions, I lapped up every second of it. It was the first time I had seen real trans people on screen. The way I had always felt about my body began to make sense.
Sita has always said that, “it doesn’t cost you anything to make someone feel safer in the world”. That’s exactly what she has done since we walked out of the cinema and I said “I think I might be trans”.
Everything changed when Sita (my friend and business partner) asked if I wanted to see a documentary on Trans Visibility Day. I didn’t expect a problematic documentary from the 1980s to change my life. But it did. The documentary Man into Woman: The Trans-sexual Experience was one of the first Australian films to document trans lives.
While it was incredibly dated and asked some pretty inappropriate questions, I lapped up every second of it. It was the first time I had seen real trans people on screen. The way I had always felt about my body began to make sense.
Sita has always said that, “it doesn’t cost you anything to make someone feel safer in the world”. That’s exactly what she has done since we walked out of the cinema and I said “I think I might be trans”.
While it was incredibly dated and asked some pretty inappropriate questions, I lapped up every second of it. It was the first time I had seen real trans people on screen. The way I had always felt about my body began to make sense.
Sita has always said that, “it doesn’t cost you anything to make someone feel safer in the world”. That’s exactly what she has done since we walked out of the cinema and I said “I think I might be trans”.
It's so liberating to live and work in an environment free from prejudice.
Since that documentary I have come out as non-binary, legally changed my name, cut my hair and started using ‘they/them’ pronouns. Having the support of my partner Tom, Sita, friends and colleagues from my part-time job has been euphoric. It’s melted away years of shame, fear and internalised transphobia.
It's so liberating to live and work in an environment free from prejudice.
Sita has been a champion of me transitioning from day one. Our small business She Shapes History is a gender euphoric workplace. This means we genuinely celebrate and embrace gender diversity. We do this on our tours, behind the scenes and with all the content we share.
Being a gender euphoric workplace is more than adding a trans flag to a website. It’s more than acknowledging or tolerating difference. It’s about making genuinely safe spaces and having honest conversations tailored to individual needs. This is so important. As not all trans people want and need the same things.
It's so liberating to live and work in an environment free from prejudice.
Sita has been a champion of me transitioning from day one. Our small business She Shapes History is a gender euphoric workplace. This means we genuinely celebrate and embrace gender diversity. We do this on our tours, behind the scenes and with all the content we share.
Being a gender euphoric workplace is more than adding a trans flag to a website. It’s more than acknowledging or tolerating difference. It’s about making genuinely safe spaces and having honest conversations tailored to individual needs. This is so important. As not all trans people want and need the same things.
Name badges from REMIX PLASTIC
A Gender Euphoric Workplace in Practice
For us, this has meant having open conversations about uniforms, bringing up pronouns on a tour, and engaging with the media. It has sometimes led to more work, but Sita often reminds me, it’s worth it because it means coming to work feeling safe and celebrated.For example...
After announcing I would go by ‘They / Them’ Sita ordered recycled ice cream container name badges for us and our guests to wear while delivering tours. These badges have a specific spot where you can share your pronouns. This was a practical and elegant solution to navigating the sometimes complex task of having to explain to people that I’m non-binary.
Some trans people feel pressure to restrict their gender expression in customer-facing roles, often policing their self-presentation. Sita has never made me feel like this. She has even enthusiastically welcomed the fact that I occasionally want to dress up as male historical figures in social media videos.
We’re still discovering what it means to be a gender euphoric workplace, but here are our top tips:
- Exploring language use in fun and creative ways - adding pronouns to a website in a way that is integrated + doesn't seem out of place
- Seeing change and fluidity as a strength - using name badges where names and pronouns can be updated over time
- Expressing joy in someone’s gender identity - Making space and opportunities for creative forms of gender expression (e.g via social media)
- Checking in about what someone is comfortable sharing/not sharing with the media and those they encounter in a customer-facing role
- Sharing the load - Not solely relying on trans people to educate, inform and raise issues in the workplace and publically
- Finding the right fit - Choosing uniforms that feel gender euphoric (we have discussed ordering pale pink suits)
- Checking in about whether someone is comfortable with how they are being publicly presented – on the website, on social media, in the media. If they aren’t comfortable, this could mean taking new photos or changing the language you use when talking about them
- Celebrating and sharing trans history - Actively celebrating and sharing positive stories of historical trans people (refuting the consistent negative press trans folks often experience)
Ripley being gender euphoric
Our experience creating a gender euphoric workplace refutes the stereotype that being trans-affirming is a heavy, laborious and intense process that you can never quite get right.
She Shapes History is young and we’re only at the beginning of my journey embracing my gender identity. But one thing I can confidently say is that this is a euphoric journey we are both on.
p.s if you are looking for more gender euphoric stories we highly recommend the book Gender Euphoria: Stories of Joy from Trans, Non-binary and Intersex Writers
We wish to acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians of country – the Ngunnawal, Ngunawal and Ngambri people. We pay our respects to the people, the cultures and the elders past, present and emerging.