PGN Article on TransWork - Philadelphia Airport Job Fair
TransWork, Philadelphia airport team up for job fair aimed at increasing trans employment
by Laura Smythe
Published in Philadelphia Gay News
September 11, 2019
Excerpt:
Applying to jobs is often stressful. But for AJ Kingsbury there’s an extra layer of anxiety — one where “you can feel your insides curl.”
“Usually, when looking at a job application I don’t know if I can put down my preferred name or if I have to use my legal name that I had to change,” said Kingsbury, a 22-year-old North Delaware resident who is trans and uses they/them pronouns. “It’s sort of like, ‘Do I take the leap and cross my fingers that I don’t get penalized somehow or do I use the birth name that I am not a fan of and clearly marks me as one gender that I am not?’”
Kingsbury joined about 30 fellow trans, nonbinary and gender nonconforming people from across the Greater Philadelphia region on Tuesday at the inaugural job fair by TransWork, an employment program for job seekers and entrepreneurs in these communities developed by the Independence Business Alliance, Philadelphia’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce. Hosted at William Way LGBT Community Center and organized in partnership with the Philadelphia International Airport, the event focused on helping folks find employment at the travel hub.