Dismantling Structural Power Dynamics in Trans Employment
Workforce inequity isn't simply a result of individual bias: a bad manager, a hostile interviewer, or an exclusionary hiring manager. It is sustained by organizational structures designed to uphold these injustices.
A 2025 Prism report highlights the extreme economic disparities facing transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming job seekers, who continue to face disproportionate unemployment, underemployment, and discrimination. While many organizations advertise "inclusive hiring," their underlying operational architectures tell another story. To dismantle this systemic exclusion, we must examine how power operates within hiring pipelines.
Visible Power: Rigid Rules Over Inclusion
Visible power includes standardized application portals, formal policies, and hiring criteria. While seemingly neutral on paper, cisnormative systems immediately create barriers to inclusion:
Application systems that force binary gender options or mandate deadnames.
Background checks that flag legal name changes as "security concerns" or fraud risk.
Resume evaluations that punish employment gaps without accounting for disproportionate and systemic economic precarity faced by trans individuals.
Hidden Power: Gatekeeping and the "Culture Fit" Myth
Hidden power relies on unspoken norms, referral networks, and gatekeepers who shield organizations from accountability by framing exclusion as a lack of "culture fit":
Referral-based hiring that relies on existing social networks and locks out candidates outside traditional executive networks.
Subjective assessments of conventional corporate norms, they label trans candidates as "risky," "unprofessional," or "not the right fit."
Unilateral veto power retained by senior leadership without accountability or oversight mechanisms.
Invisible Power: Internalized Norms and Policy Backlash
Invisible power operates through deeply embedded societal narratives, including cissexism, that go unquestioned. Compounded by federal anti-trans agendas, rolled-back protections, and systemic divestment from safe housing, clean water, and reliable jobs, marginalized communities are pushed toward underground economies and mutual aid. Emboldened by broader anti-LGBTQ+ political rhetoric, companies openly discriminate against trans and non-binary people and fail to protect trans workers:
Professionalism standards that enforce White, cisgender, patriarchal norms of demeanor, dress, and speech.
Organizational mindsets that view inclusion as a compliance risk rather than a collective growth opportunity.
Systemic rejection that forces trans professionals to navigate job searches in constant survival mode.
Moving Toward Systemic Stewardship
Ending discriminatory hiring requires shifting from reactive fixes to systemic stewardship. Leaders can drive structural change by taking these key steps:
Audit Your Ecosystem: Review your hiring tools, application software, background check policies, and referral programs to eliminate hidden access barriers.
Deconstruct "Culture Fit": Replace vague preferences with transparent, objective skill-based rubrics that hold hiring committees accountable for bias.
Build Shared Governance: Involve non-executive staff and community stakeholders in co-designing recruitment protocols that prioritize safety and equity.
Take Action: Democratize Power
Building an understanding of power dynamics helps move communities toward justice and collective care.
📚 Order Rooted Together: Equip your team with strategies and diagnostic tools to build equitable systems. Order your copy of Rooted Together today.
🛠️ Access the Shared Power Library: Download the Geography of Power and Resonance Audit to map power in your organization. Explore the Shared Power Tools.
✊ Support Trans Liberation: Partner with and donate to grassroots, trans-led mutual aid funds, legal defense organizations, and employment networks in your area directly supporting trans job seekers. For those in hiring roles, Community Centric Fundraising (CCF)'s Laid Off Corps provides a list of BIPOC and trans folks looking for temporary or long-term positions.
