Gen Zers are thinking about their identities and how they want to show up at work. This generation is all about authenticity, but for non-binary or transgender persons, that might mean jeopardizing your job, which is a lot to consider.

Corporate America has stepped up its support of LGBTQ+ rights. It is more widely accepted to be out in terms of sexual identity in the workplace. However, there is still a long road ahead to foster a truly inclusive environment, especially when it comes to gender identity. Gen Z young adults are much more likely to identify as either trans or nonbinary than other generations. A Gallup survey found that the number of Gen Z people identifying as transgender is twice that of millennials.

In this episode, we speak to Gen Z founder Yen Tan who came out during the pandemic. The pandemic created a laundry list of negative impacts, but one positive outcome was that it gave people time to discover more about themselves during their time working from home. Since then, Tan has created a truly inclusive workplace in the company they created.

That's something Kat Kibben told us is important for companies today. Kibben is the founder of Three Ears Media, a company that offers pronoun education to workforces. The phone calls from organizations peak during Pride Month, but Kibben says it's crucial work year-round, especially when there is a rise in anti-trans legislation. There are 583 such bills across 49 states in 2023, according to translegislation.com.

Of the proposed anti-trans bills, 14 are in Florida, where Gen Zer Lana Patel grew up. In this episode, we hear her first-hand experience about transitioning and the lack of support she received from employers over the years. Today she works at Plume, a gender affirming health care company for the gender diverse community as the PR and government affairs liaison.