To whomever it may concern
I am a woman who was Assigned Male At Birth (AMAB), as such I have masculine traits. About three years ago I was in the process of starting my journey when I went in to Swim Co. I wanted a swimsuit to go to a queer swim event, so I needed proper swimming gear and because of your advertisements that you respect all people, I thought Swim Co would be a good place for me to go.
I was nervous as I had yet to get to a place where I was comfortable shopping for women’s clothing. I was looking at some feminine swimming gear hoping someone would come over to help me. When someone came over she asked me who I was shopping for I explained a little bit of my situation but she directed me to the men’s swimsuits. I explained again, and she replied with “let me go talk to my manager.” I watched her go talk to a lady at the back who peeked at me, when she returned she said “Sorry we can’t help you here.” I put that in quotes because I, like many other trans people, remember each and every time transphobic actions are acted upon me.
I write this to you now as I am in a place where I feel I can stand up for myself, and the person I am now expects that your swim experts learn how to serve and respect all people, whether transgender, gender diverse, male, or female. With my current job I am in my car a lot with the radio on and when your ads come on, they remind me how I was not treated with respect when I came to Swim Co. It’s time for you to expand your definition of respect to include all people.
Reann’s Story 