Dear Colleagues,
I am writing this letter to tell you about a matter that is essentially personal but will result in some changes at work, and how I will continue to work within the union. During the occasional times we meet you will notice some changes in my appearance as I have officially come out to our employer as trans. I started questioning myself earlier in life and began to except myself in 2012, I began hormone replacement therapy about 2.5 years ago. During the previous times we may have encountered each other I was trying to do my best to hide or minimize the changes that have happened and are continuing to happen to me.
Outside of work, I have been slowly transitioning my life to my true persona for close to two years, slowly switching the many moving parts of my life. Soon after April 13th 2017 I felt it was in my best interest to shed my previous identity. My, more excepting, family and friends call me Reann, I have changed my legal name to Reann and corrected my sex designation from male to female.
The transition process includes psychotherapy, hormonal treatments and eventually various surgeries. Accordingly, I have been working with social workers, my therapists, and doctors, following the Standards of Care that set out treatment guidelines for trans individuals.
I’m very pleased to be able to take this step towards personal wholeness while staying at a job I have found to be very important. This change will not affect my ability to do my job. In fact, I may be less distracted now that I no longer have two personas to juggle. About four (Particular Monthly Survey)’s prior to officially coming out to our employer, I was introducing my self as Reann to respondents. My name is close enough to my dead name that if I was asked to repeat the name I would give my dead name, no one did for the first two and a bit months! One or two (Particular Monthly Survey)’s prior to my official coming out I was asked to repeat my name by a respondent, I took that opportunity to repeat Reann taking a giant leap for my well being.
Some of you may not understand the life changes I’m undertaking. I would be happy to answer your questions or direct you to additional information. Some of you may not approve of what I’m doing; that is your right. However, I expect that everyone will still treat me with basic human respect. If you know my dead name I would appreciate it if you never use it when referring to me.
As the UNE local 40040 Chief Shop Steward, I ask that you call me by my name Reann and use the female (she/her/hers) or gender neutral (Xe/Xem/Xyr) pronouns when referring to me or about me. I know this will take a little time to get used to, and I do know that people will make mistakes at first. All I ask is that you try to get it right.
Respectfully,
Reann Legge
Comments:
This was written at the end of 2017, and a few things have changed, I am no longer the UNE local 40040 Chief Shop Steward, and I no longer use the pronouns Xe/Xem/Xyr as I am no longer anywhere near non binary. I removed the survey name as I am not sure how my employer likes me publishing survey names that I do.
Reann’s Story 