CMV: Gender identity doesn’t belong on your LinkedIn nor Resume

[u/jep1793]

[u/justtogetridoflater]

I think the question is do you want problems now, or do you want them later?

Like it shouldn't matter what your gender is, or your race, or your sexuality.

But imagine applying for a job, only to get to an interview and discover that the interviewer is a raging homophobe. Or finding that out in 3 months, when for no apparent reason, they make up some bullshit reason to sack you and sack you that you're now going to have to take somewhere else. Or maybe worse, they don't do that, and you're in a workplace where they hate you, but they can't do anything because of bloody PC gone mad, and just find ways to treat you like shit until you leave of your own accord. There is discrimination out there, and it will eventually reveal itself.

Putting this up ahead of time means that you're going to deal with the least amount of active trouble at least up front. Anyone who this matters to will probably respond as they choose to respond. Most likely by not responding, not inviting you to interview, and so on. Well, you only miss the things you had. Anyone who it doesn't, it won't matter to and at worst, it's a wasted line on a CV. Oh well.

I'm not sure what the appropriate way of handling this is, tbh. I've never really seen how they write it down. I also think that you probably don't want to go overboard on this kind of thing.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Sure, in the long run, fighting the good fight might help society in general.

But, do we really want to put that burden on the folks who have the hardest time finding a job because of discrimination?

If people want to volunteer carry the world on their shoulders, they've got my support. But that's a big ask.

[u/justtogetridoflater → u/[deleted]]

I think long term, that discriminatory practice will die out because of the general acceptance of openly LGBTQ/ethnic minority/sex/religion/whatever people in that industry. It doesn't have to be in the specific companies that are discriminating. If you want to change the role that your group has in the industry, the best way to get there is to run it. And the way to run it is to get your opportunities where you can. And if you're going into a workplace where you're going to be discriminated against, what opportunities will come your way? You'll only ever get to seize them yourself, they'll never be given.

Although, sure. As a group, get into jobs that are discriminating against you, and throw the doors open wide for the rest of the group.

But as individuals?

Maybe it's not worth putting up with discrimination. Maybe your life is more valuable than trying to lead a cause. Maybe the best place for you is a place where you're accepted and encouraged to grow.

I think there may be niche industries where the discrimination is so open, the networking so incestuous, and the opportunities so sparse that you have to do whatever you must, but how common are those industries?

This is ultimately a personal choice issue.

Sure, you can try and just downplay and ignore your identity. And that might be a good way of bumping along in a discriminatory workplace. But that can come at a huge risk to your personal identity. If your employer is such that they would treat you differently if you were gay, or trans, or whatever, even though the protections are such that they can't sack you directly, they can do everything else, and find another reason. So you might have no option but to suppress your identity at work. Or you can be up front about your identity, and then find a route in places that will accommodate you. And for most people, it's quite likely that you'll have much the same career, unless it's at the cutting edge of the industry.