Quote Originally Posted by Gothicshark View Post
Well in 2010, the industry was quite small in the San Fernando Valley, and the local Harley shops, and Living Support companies which said they were hiring said they had filled the position when I came to fill out applications back then. It was rather odd since there is never enough Living Support Workers in the Valley, and just happens the three companies other than JNCS were not hiring when I filled out applications. So you tell me if it's odd that companies who said they were hiring said they were full when I applied in 2010. Sure I gave up trying to find new work by 2012, by then I got my 100% Service-connected rating with the VA pushed through. So I won't have to work again and get a decent income. But from 2010 to 2012 it was difficult only with Unemployment. And not being able to find a job, when I applied everywhere, in the two professions I'm actually trained for.
Speaking as someone who has done a ton of entry level HR work in my life all this sounds like to me was that you were being let down gently about not getting these jobs. There is more to becoming employed somewhere than just showing up and fogging a mirror.

You had two rather specialized fields that you wanted to work in which already severely limited your potential employability because you're discounting things like retail and service industry jobs in general. Retail specialty is largely female dominated at an entry level and is (and has been, in my experience) one of the friendliest options to LGBT people for a long time.

I think a very valid potential explanation to your employment troubles could simply be that you didn't have strong references. You admit as much, claiming that a past employer would even go out of their way to spread word of issues with you to their competition.

Honestly, looking at this externality it just seems like you may not have been the best employee and want to attribute actions against that to being trans rather than for actual shortcomings you may have had. Even if a company would be stupid enough (and brave enough, frankly - it's a huge financial risk) to fire someone for being trans they aren't going to then hold some sort of grudge against you big enough for them to openly badmouth you to other companies. Do you realize how over the top that sounds?

I 100% support you in your right to transition and recieve all the care you want, I would denounce anyone saying anything otherwise as would any reasonable person. Those people are bad people. The issue here is when you attribute transphobic malice to things that have so many easier (and less serious) explainations - it will invariably make people more skeptical about claims of transphobia in the future. It is quite literally the girl who cried wolf.

I'm glad at least this has a happy ending and that you're financially sound now but I do think the way some of this thinking has shaped your worldview is unfortunate. There are not awful transphobes around every corner. Most people literally don't care beyond either being more or less sexually/romantically attracted to you because of being trans.