When it comes to being out as trans in the workplace, there are plenty of hoops to jump through, ranging from the obnoxious to the downright deadly. If you’re the first trans person your workplace has ever hired, you might find yourself in the unfortunate position of having to advocate for a few basic rights, such as the right to use the correct bathroom and be referred to by your correct name and pronouns.

And sadly, in some cases, you might come up against some pushback. That’s what happened to one Reddit user who was recently forced to wear a name tag bearing their deadname.

“I put in a request for a new ID with my new name I’ve been using for 4 years and it was to take a few weeks,” they wrote. “Today I came in and my manager told me…’You can’t use your “Fake” name, have to be the real one.’ I live in NC, I’ve been told it’d cost close to a thousand dollars if I want to change my name legally if it’s not marriage, so I’ve been waiting.”

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Obviously their manager is a gross poopy-pants who sucks, but there’s another question here: is this kind of treatment actually legal?

The short answer is that it depends on where you live.

“Contact corporate,” one poster suggested. “Luckily it’s a national chain, they won’t want the heat from that to get out.”

But even if you’re working for a corporate chain, if state laws don’t protect you in the workplace, you might be out of luck. Still, as many posters explained, there are ways to fight back.

“They can say anything,” one poster noted. “If it is policy, then it is written. Ask for proof. If it is not written, the policy doesn’t exist. Make them provide evidence of their unlawful activity.”

That’s an important point. Even though we’re living in a scary time when anti-trans legislature is being pushed in certain states, always know your rights and double-check.

“In my local area,” another poster pointed out, “the hospital is saying its Idaho state legislature that they cannot prescribe HRT anymore for transgender people. This is, in fact, a lie, and after one round of announcements about this crap from admin, doctors and staff are coming out and saying, “its policy from (hospital group) to tell patients that its Idaho law to not prescribe HRT for transgender people’… And no, its not a state law.”

Even in a state like North Carolina, it’s technically illegal to fire someone because they’re trans. That said, conservatives are constantly trying to mess with Title IX protections, and even if you’re protected under federal law, you might still be subject to transphobic rules and policies depending on your workplace. If you want to know your rights as an employee in your state, the Equality Map is a good place to start.

The best advice posters gave was to basically know your rights on a state and federal level, and to track everything. When you experience a microaggression, write it down and mark the date and time. Keep compiling these incidents in case things escalate.

Even if you’re at a horrible job that doesn’t respect you and live in a state that tramples on your rights, you do have certain federal protections and you can always fight back.

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