By Natalie Paddon
“My name is Genevieve Charles, I’m English and I am post-operative transgender.”
That is how 56-year-old Charles, a former pub owner now on a job hunt, begins her cover letters.
As she looks for work in the hospitality industry, Charles identifies as transgender right away to avoid going to interviews where, once she arrives, she says she can immediately sense she won’t be getting the job.
“I do feel like I need to put it in,” she said. “If these people don’t know it upfront, they’re going to be wasting their time and my time.
“If somebody’s not going to employ me because of who I am, I don’t see the point in bothering with them.”
She initially penned the letter a couple of months ago after an interview left her feeling particularly uncomfortable and unapproved, something she says is rare for her.
“I’m very confident in my abilities and myself in general.”
But the unsuccessful job search was starting to take its toll on her.
Over a three-month period, she applied to more than 100 jobs, many of which were in the Hamilton area.
Article and image source: The Hamilton Spectator
