This event is proudly brought to you by Out for Australia, UQ Pride Alliance, Pride of QUT and UQ Union.
Come along to hear trans speakers and allies offer their advice and observations on entering the workplace, resilience, and building strong networks.
The process of transition can be one of the most rewarding and powerful experiences, however there is also an incredible amount of fear and tension. While the importance of social acceptance from friends and family cannot be overstated, one of the single biggest fears that transgender people face is that of being unable to retain employment and support themselves and their families through and beyond transition.
This session explores the experiences of a panel of trans people who have lived through the process of transition, while successfully continued to build their careers. The panel will discuss their observations, challenges, fears and victories prior to, through and after transition within the workplace. They will offer advice from the context of what they learned through the experience; what went well and what could have been done differently, and perhaps make the path easier for those who follow.
Make sure you register!
We will hear from:
Linda Hibbert, senior coordinator (case manager and manager for 6 group homes) for a major disability service based on the Gold Coast. Her main qualification is community welfare and development but she also holds qualifications in Business Law and marketing, IT, Vocational Training and Engineering. Prior to her current position, she was the peer mentor worker for Open Doors and wrote, developed then implemented the peer mentor program for this organization. She was also President and Facilitator of the Freedom Transgender support group on the Gold Coast and facilitator of the Jellybeans Transgender youth support group for Open Doors youth service. Prior to transition, she held a number of jobs including construction work, trucking transport and cattle station work in Queensland and the Northern Territory. Linda has also worked in the motorcycle industry in various positions, including engineer, racing bike builder, detailer, general hand, with road racing in the Queensland championships for F1 250.
Leigh Coonan, statistical officer at the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Section Councilor in the Queensland office for the Community and Public Sector Union. Leigh will be only be speaking of personal experiences and will not be speaking on behalf of either organisation.
Evie Ryder, former Health Promotion Officer for the Queensland Aids Council. Evie has been working with the LGBT community for the last 7 years, after completing her Bachelor of Social Work at JCU Cairns in 2007. She delivers presentations on transgender issues and transphobia at state and national conferences, including Health in Differences 2010, Queensland Clinician’s Meeting 2011, and Queensland Transgender, Sistergirl, and Gender Diverse Conference 2012. She is a founding member of the Lesbian Health Action Group and founder of Many Genders One Voice. Evie is the former Manager of the Gay Men’s Health Promotion team at Queensland AIDS Council. She also enjoys holding skateboarding classes for LGBT people.
Jade Mirabito, Project Officer for the Expanded Horizons Program- specifically providing group support to 13-24 sexuality, gender diverse and intersex youth, and Transformative Practice- facilitating the Gold Coast LGBTIQAP+ Mental Health Professionals Network alongside the provision of education and policies/procedures support for services. Jade has also been a support worker for Spinal Life Australia for over 3 years and is the Secretary of Diverse Voices (previously GLWA) a peer LGBTI phone counselling service across QLD.
Roz Dickson works as an Associate Engineer at Control Technologies International, a Brisbane based engineering firm. She is a member of The Wendybird Collective and of ATSAQ, the Australian Transgender Association of Queensland. In her career she has studied Electrical Engineering and Business at QUT(QIT) receiving academic awards for high achievement. She also holds two trades, her first in Radio completed after leaving high school and her second, completed as a mature age Apprentice Electrician during which she transitioned genders. She is the current Ms Brisbane Pride and for enjoyment takes classes in Ballet and performs Burlesque.
Dr Annabelle Willox, Director of the UQ Advantage Office. The UQ Advantage Office helps students to identify and engage with activities and experiences that enhance their studies and develop their employability. Prior to arriving in Australia, Annabelle was the Faculty Manager of Strathclyde Business School, Glasgow, and was formerly the Head of Student Records at Cardiff University. Annabelle was also an international field hockey umpire and represented Wales at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in 2010 and Glasgow in 2014.
The panel will be cohosted by Out For Australia’s Kathryn Cramp and Trans Counselling Queensland’s Jane Stockwell.
Jane Stockwell is a professional woman – a parent, a writer and an educator who also happens to be transgender. She has created a role for herself as a trans-specific workplace educator, helping transgender people to live authentically at work. Jane describes “living authentically” as to remove the mask we wear to meet societal expectation, and to be free from discrimination or the risk of losing your job by expressing your gender identity.
Jane believes that trans people should not lose a lifetime of skills, experience or qualifications by transitioning. She is a Workplace Educator for Trans Counselling QLD, to assist and counsel trans people to initiate and to guide the transition process within the workplace.
About Out for Australia
Out for Australia is a national mentoring organisation for LGBTIQ students and young professionals as they navigate their way through the early stages of their career. They aim to bring the community together, to offer a supportive environment in which people can network, build relationships and assist each other in their professional journeys. Their mission is to provide visible role models, mentors, and other support to aspiring LGBTIQ professionals and to strengthen the sense of community among professionals and students.
About the UQ Pride Alliance
UQ Pride Alliance are a student club at the University of Queensland. They run events, campaigns, address discrimination, and keep students up to date with queer issues on campus, in Brisbane, in Australia and around the world.
UQ Pride Alliance 