Workplace Trans 101: Changed Genders, Changed Perspectives

Keynote Speaker: Ellie Krug - Writer, Lawyer, Human

SESSION DESCRIPTION

Transitioning genders involves breaking many express and implicit societal norms and exposes the transgender person to seismic changes in how they interact with and perceive the world. Some of those changes are driven by infusing the body with hormones; other changes result from how the rules are different depending on whether one lives as a man or as a woman. While we hear much about transgender people these days, rarely does a trans person get asked to talk about what it’s like to live on the other side of the “gender fence.”

With this insightful presentation, writer, lawyer and “inclusionist” Ellie Krug, who transitioned genders in 2009 at age fifty-two, shares what she has learned (some of it the hard way) about going from male to female. A part of this talk is Ellie’s personal story; however, much of what Ellie discusses is how the social and professional landscapes are so incredibly different than when she presented as male. This talk also spans the spectrum—social interactions, professional relationships, allyship, loss and discovery, and family.

Ellie Krug also discusses how legal workplaces can be more welcoming to clients, team members, and opposing counsel who identify as transgender or nonbinary. What should people say or do to be welcoming? What should they avoid? How does “passing” or not (e.g., the extent to which no one would guess about a person being transgender) come into play?

Audience members are encouraged to ask questions—after all, it’s not every day that one gets a chance to find out what it’s like to live in the other gender!

In this session, participants will learn:

• Understanding the role of gender-based socialization, as well as human hormones in the day-to-day thinking and actions of men and women.
• Appreciating the role of group identification and group behavior between and among men and women.
• Developing and furthering self-awareness about how women can better position themselves in society (including within legal employers) relative to leadership, mentoring, and mutual support.
• Gaining tips on how men can be better allies to women.
• Understanding the quick basics about what it means to be transgender—defining/discussing gender identity, gender expression, and social/surgical gender transitioning (also called “confirmation surgery”).
• Understanding that not only do transgender or nonbinary persons come out in their “true” genders and “transition,” but that family members, co-workers, intimate partners, and others also “transition” in their thinking and interactions as well.
• Discussing how fear (fear of losing clients; fear of making people uncomfortable) creates obstacles to inclusion and acceptance of trans/nonbinary humans in a legal employer setting.
• Appreciating the need for proper pronoun usage and “allyship” as ways of welcoming/being accepting of a trans or nonbinary person. This includes what not to say/what questions not to ask.
• Understanding what it means to “pass” in one’s “true” gender and the legal workplace challenges that both the trans person and cisgender people face when, like Ellie (due to her voice), a transgender person doesn’t “pass 100 percent.”
• How to talk with those (who are often legal workplace culture leaders) who still believe that one’s gender identity is simply a “choice.”

REGISTRATION

Register Here  (Link to registration on GGALA web page.)

This Pride session is a collaboration of four California chapters: East Bay (EBALA), Golden Gate (GGALA), Orange County (OCALA), and Silicon Valley (ALASVC).

Attendees may choose to attend the virtual session or the in-person session.

• MORNING VIRTUAL:  The virtual session begins at 9:00 AM. 
• MORNING IN-PERSON:  The in-person session is an encore presentation at 11:00 AM at Morrison Foerster, 425 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94105.
• LUNCH:  The in-person session is followed by lunch and an open discussion with Ellie Krug. 

To view other registrants to this meeting, please click here and select the meeting name from the drop-down box.

Cost

ALA members: No Charge

Business Partners of EBALA, GGALA, ALASVC, or OCALA Chapters: No Charge

Guests: $20 

All proceeds from this session will be donated to the Foundation of ALA. You can learn more about the Foundation's initiatives by clicking HERE. We welcome members to include a donation during the registration process if they wish.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

At the age of fifty-two, Ellen (Ellie) Krug (pronounced “Kroog”) transitioned from male to female while living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Although not at all easy, transitioning genders gave Ellie the opportunity for a “do-over” in life, which has included working to make the world fairer and more inclusive for all humans, particularly those considered “Other.”

With over 100 civil trials to her credit, Ellie was the first Iowa lawyer to ever transition genders and one of the few attorneys nationally to try jury cases in separate genders. She later relocated to the Twin Cities where she served as the founding executive director of a legal nonprofit that earned an American Bar Association award for innovatively increasing legal access.

The author of Getting to Ellen: A Memoir about Love, Honesty and Gender Change (2013), Ellie has presented on diversity and inclusion to governmental entities, court systems, Fortune 100 companies, law firms, nonprofits, and colleges/universities on more than 1000 occasions. A hopeless idealist, Ellie has presented her human inclusivity training, “Gray Area Thinking®” across North America.

In 2016, Advocate Magazine named Ellie one of “25 Legal Advocates Fighting for Trans Rights.” From 2011 to 2022, she wrote a monthly column for Lavender Magazine, and presently she writes for Minnesota Women’s Press. Ellie also pens a widely circulated monthly e-newsletter, The Ripple, which reaches 9000+ readers.

Ellie views herself as an “Inclusionist” and founded an inclusion-oriented consulting and training company, Human Inspiration Works, LLC, in 2016. Ellie is the recipient of the 2019 Business of Pride Career Achievement Award from the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, and the 2019 Legacy Award from OutFront Minnesota, the state’s largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organization. She was also named a 2023 Stonewall Award recipient by the American Bar Association Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. Ellie is also a weekly radio and podcast host; her show, “Ellie 2.0 Radio,” on AM950 in the Twin Cities, with more than 250 episodes, highlights idealism and how each of us can play a role in fostering positive change in the world. Finally, in November 2022, Ellie was elected to the Eastern Carver County School Board for a four-year term.

She resides in Victoria, Minnesota, with her English-cream golden retriever, Jack.

SPONSORS

The presentation is proudly sponsored by ALASVC Business Partner Avata Partners. 

EDUCATION CREDIT

The Golden Gate Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators is an approved CLM provider. This session satisfies the required educational criteria in the following areas:

CLM® Application Credit:  1.5 hours in the subject area of Communication Skills

CLM® Application Credit for Functional Specialists:  1.5 hours in the subject area of Legal Industry/Business Management (LI)

CLM® Recertification Credit: 1.5 hours in the subject area of Legal Industry/Business Management (LI)

The HR Certification Institute’s® official seal confirms that (the Golden Gate Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators) meets the criteria for pre-approved recertification credit(s) for any of HRCI’s eight credentials, including SPHR® and PHR®. This activity has been approved for 1.5 “Units” General recertification credit hours

ALA-Golden Gate Chapter is recognized by SHRM to offer SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP professional development credits (PDCs). This program is valid for 1.5 PDCs.

MEDIA

Media Disclaimer
Registrants to this meeting understand that publicity photographs, video and/or sound bites may be taken during the event and their image/photographic likeness/voice may appear in media taken during the event. By registering for the event, you hereby give permission that photos/video/audio containing your image/likeness/voice may be used for publicity or general information purposes including publication on the Golden Gate Chapter website, The Bridge newsletter or within other publicity which may be seen by the general public. The Golden Gate Chapter of the ALA will not seek any further permission nor provide any notification before using such media.

Opt-Out

If you wish to opt-out, please indicate so by reaching out to the meeting contact below.

Meeting Contact: Kira Hansen at [email protected]