Coming Out.
The Story of coming out at work and on Facebook to friends
January 2,2018
How everything got started with my coming out at work. I've been attending a very supportive group couple times a month working on acknowledging my transgender self. After many weeks of trying to figure out when the best time to come out at work was I developed a plan. I always try to take a vacation in October on Halloween week and I figured this could be the time to come back to work as Kimberly. I began trying to figure this out in early 2017 plan when to tell and how to tell HR of my plans to live as Kimberly. In August I made the decision to tell HR around the end of September. As fate would have it I enjoyed a vacation day each Friday in September and the problem of telling human resources of my plans as she is normally in our facility on Friday's. I had made my mind up that Friday September 22,2017 I would swing by the warehouse on my way to the zoo. I was a little surprised that the day I made my mind up on Wednesday 20, 2017 that when I went up to lunch to see the HR office light on. While at lunch contemplating all the while about just getting the HR talk over and done with. I finished my lunch and proceeded to march in to the office a lot nervous. I proceeded to tell her I was transgender and when I returned from vacation on November 6, 2017 that I wanted to go by Kimberly and use the ladies restroom. She expressed the fact that my name couldn't be changed on paperwork till I had it legally done which I informed her I was well aware of and would be trying to get the name change complete in the near future. I was also informed she was unsure about me using the restroom. I told her about the OSHA guidelines and the EEOC guidelines. I told her about HRC coming out at work reference page. She then informed me as long as there no problem out on the floor I could use Kimberly. She also could tell I was a lot nervous and asked me if I was afraid to talk to her. I really wasn't as worried about talking to her as I was about the possibility of loosing my job. I was informed that I may come in and talk anytime I felt necessary. I told her I didn't expect to change my job or anything except to probably excel a little bit as this was a big burden I carried for many of years. I was informed that she would look into things as I encouraged her to talk to me if she needed too. I left the office not feeling really secure about how it had gone very nervous about the uncertainty. I was glad when the next group rolled around so I could talk about things. It just so happened that there were some friends and families of the other girls there as I told about telling HR. One girls mother work in legal stuff and encouraged me to follow up with a thank you E-mail outlining what we had discussed in her office on September 20. I went home the next night and followed up with an E-mail thanked her taking the time to listen to me and reminded her that we had discussed my using the name Kimberly and using the girls bathroom when I returned from vacation. I also included the links for HRC, OSHA, EEOC in the email. I signed it soon to be Kimberly and sent it off at 7:30 on Wednesday evening. I received a E-mail at 6:30 Thursday morning to Dear Kimberly expressing that she didn't foresee any problems as we moved forward which made me feel a big sense of relief.
I also made the decision to come out on both my Facebook pages at the same time right before I come out at work. I worked hard on exactly what to say as the one page had many people that already had some knowledge of Kimberly and another with a lot of family and racetrack friends that had very little knowledge. I created a little thing called Did You Know? in which included somethings about me and my life with a link to this website where there's more information. So on November 5,2017 I posted on both Facebook pages the Did You Know? and I received several good comments many likes and loves. I was really out on Facebook anybody that read that would know I was a transwoman.
Monday November 6, 2017 I went to work as Kimberly for the first time still very nervous cause I had no idea about who knew what or anything. Everyone has done an exceptional job trying to get my name and pronouns right. I started signing pick tickets as Kimberly which feels awesome to be alive as I always felt. I was told the girls were informed about the fact I would use the ladies bathroom and was going by Kimberly and I'm not sure how everyone else found out but I've managed to tell if someone questions what is going on. Everything so far has been fine my nerves are calming down from all the fear. I will in the near future be finalizing the name and gender change.
I'm still nervous a little about the racetrack stuff but realize it shall pass as soon the season gets underway.
I'm very thankful to have an awesome group of girlfriends that have helped encourage me and ease my fears from all this trans stuff. I look forward each day to going out to work and play in life thankfully I gained the courage to be free as my true self. ..