After I was outed at the middle school I worked at (and it is currently illegal for me to use a men’s restroom - which I do, because if you put a fedora on me I’d look like a professional 2010s r/atheism “quote maker”), I found another job. I went through a week of training; after my background check came in the fired me. Not only fired me, but tried to not pay me for the training. Spent months fighting to get a check. Was pretty desperate too - the divorce process was also wonderful cognizant of my status as a queer/second class American.

When I was in college, I worked a bunch of odd jobs. I had to give my drivers license to the day labor director once for a W2 or something - it still said “F” because surgery was $5500 (insurance don’t cover - lol) - I never got a gig again after that. Turned to sex work to make rent. Have genuine PTSD, but it’s not the kind you can talk about in polite company.

I think I’m pretty fucking bright and capable - but living in a world where someone digging up a picture of me in my high fucking prom dress could get me fired is kinda breaking my brain at this point. I’d love to be able to move to a place where the fact that I have a vagina isn’t a massive handicap and I can do the job I love and was born to do and am really fucking good at - but wait, the resources to be able to do that are based on hiding, being exploited, or that case where I am too fucking useful to let go. I’m just going to have to burn myself out until I can afford to move to someplace where I’m not terrified that my pharmacy will stop filling my hormone prescriptions.