November 16, 2014
Denise Brogan-Kator
- Year of graduation and concentration: Dec. 2006, Law School
- First job: (after Law School) Managing Attorney, Rainbow Law Center, PLLC, Southfield, MI. The firm focuses on serving the legal needs of LGBT clients in SE Michigan.
- Current job: Senior Legislative Counsel, Family Equality Council. Family Equality Council is a national non-profit whose mission is to ensure all families are respected, loved, and celebrated - especially families with parents who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.
Advice to current UM students
If you are a person who does not conform to gender norms, whether in the way you present yourself (gender expression) or in the way you experience your own gender (gender identity), you must develop inner strength and patience. Many people outside of the cocoon of A2 do not understand that gender is not a simple binary of male/female, and, often out of ignorance, will not respect your right to self-determine your place on the continuum. Be strong, and be open to explaining who you are and how you want -- and deserve -- to be treated.
Biggest challenge you have faced in the workforce: Prior to going to law school, I worked for a number of private companies as a chief financial officer. Despite being recognized for my strong job performance, I was fired three times because the employer learned I was transgender. That is, while my gender presentation on the job conformed to accepted gender norms, my gender identity and expression off the job were not acceptable to them. I was ultimately able to achieve success in the business world by discussing my identity with my employer from the start, and by working very hard to ensure that it did not affect my performance or work relationships.
What are three areas/issues in society that you would change in order to further the inclusion of trans*-identified people?
1) One of the simplest and most needed changes we need is to stop building gender-restricted restrooms. It is often very challenging for a trans person to use a public restroom, or even a restroom at work, because they fear being perceived as using the ‘wrong’ one. In fact, one of the primary scare tactics used to fight against trans-inclusive civil rights protections is the image of a man entering a women’s restroom that a young girl has entered. If our society can get past this fixation with restroom usage (and accept that trans-inclusive laws will not protect sexual predators), we will make great strides toward equality.
2) We need to either stop using gender markers on government ID’s, or make it much easier for a person to obtain an ID with a gender marker that confirms the individual’s gender identity and/or expression, rather than simply mirroring a person’s birth certificate. The lack of a gender-confirming ID creates barriers to employment, generally impairs a trans person’s ability to interact freely in society, and can even jeopardize their personal safety.
3) We need to stop treating people who identify as trans as though they have a mental disorder. Just as sexual orientation is no longer considered a mental illness, so too should trans identity be viewed as a difference, rather than a disorder. While people who identify as trans often need access to medical treatment, including psychological counseling, to aide them in navigating the difficulties that society creates for them, the stigma associated with being perceived as “mentally ill” makes it all the more difficult to come out, and even to accept ourselves as worthy of equal respect and dignity, which we are.