While loving Disney with all of my heart is just a trait of mine, so is being trans/transgender. These things do not define who I am but it is what makes up part of my whole self.
When I applied for the Disney College program back in September 2014, I was so worried about how I was gonna deal with my transition, my gender identity and who I would end up living with during my program. Their housing program is basically like college housing, offering apartments to their participants. These apartments are divided by the gender. You cannot room with anyone that is not the same gender as yours legally. Thankfully, the gender on my driver license was changed to male a few years ago. With this simple document change, the Disney College Program allowed me to be in apartment with other males. That basically eased my anxiety for applying for the program. I know many workplaces do not have any protection for individuals who are transsexual. Most places have policies for the employers to not discriminate against people with a different sexuality, but not for those with a gender identity that differs from their legal documents.
(Me being amazed at how Disney handles things)
After getting accepted into the program, I showed up in January and went to casting (where we do all of our paperwork) and none of the cast members batted an eye when I showed up with two different personal identification documents that has different gender markers, they asked me what gender I identified as and went on their merry way. You wouldn’t believe how happy I was that I was going to be able to work for Disney World under the gender I identify with. Just knowing that and having that experience made me so happy to be part of the Walt Disney Company.
Disney strives to be an all inclusive company that has policies in place to protect those individuals that have a different sexual identity and gender identity than the norm. It is important for the employees to work in an environment where they feel safe and accepted. Disney’s appearance policy, “the Disney look”, is vague enough that you are okay as long as you present yourself in a professional way. Disney also has an open-minded management team: their leaders, managers and coordinators. Most of the costumes, or uniforms, are unisex making it easier for those in transition or those who have completed transitioned to wear. Honestly Disney does not care what gender you identify as, binary/non-binary and etc., just as long as you adhere to their “Disney Look”: Make sure your hair, glasses, nails, and costume coordinate all together to bring a professional look that Disney is known for.
Even if your legal gender does not match the gender you identify with, Disney will still be respectful and accepting and allow you to wear the clothing you prefer, as long as it is under the same guidelines in the Disney Look. Of course you need to talk to your leaders and make sure that you are making this a possibility of change in costume, so they are aware and aren’t taken back by it when it does happen. Especially if you are in a middle of working in a workplace and decide to try different costumes that aligns with your gender identity.
Another great thing is that Disney loves using first name basis, but they don't just stay stuck on "one name." Disney allows you to have a name be put on your name tag besides your legal name, like a preferred name and/or a nickname. This helps a lot for those who just want a shorter version of their name, or a nickname or trans* people who can't afford to legally change their name but want to have it changed at work. Changing names legally is very expensive, and with Disney giving us the options to have our preferred names on the name tag is very helpful and a stress reliever for those who has severe anxiety when called the wrong name. A name is a very important part of someone's identity.
I ended up having the time of my life working with a company that fully respects my gender identity. When you work for a company that fully supports and respects you as a person, you want to put more effort, put in more work, and be the best employee you can be. When someone enjoys their job, it isn’t a job to them anymore; it's something they look forward to doing every day. Providing a safe place that respects people ensures more positive productivity. This is definitely something that all companies should do. This support and acceptance are just some of the things that makes Disney stand out above the crowd (pun totally intended).
