Supporting Trans, Nonbinary, Intersex, and Gender-Nonconforming Staff and Community

Two years ago SIBA hosted a webinar for booksellers on supporting trans staff in their stores. The event was held in response to what was then the rising number of book banning attempts targeting LGBTQ2SIA titles, and attacks and protests of bookstore events such as Drag Queen story times or readings by queer authors.

Two years later, the situation has changed, and not for the better. So this year SIBA held another event, focused specifically on the practical things bookstore owners can do to support their at risk staff.

Candice Huber, owner of Tubby & Coo’s Traveling Book Shop in New Orleans, Louisiana and SIBA’s Member Relations Coordinator, moderated the discussion with Philomena Polefrone, Associate Director of American Booksellers for Free Expression, the free expression initiative of the American Booksellers Association, and E. R. Anderson, Executive Director of Charis Circle, the 501c3 non-profit programming arm of Charis Books in Decatur, Georgia.

"How you treat one employee becomes your de facto employment policy for all employees." -E.R. Anderson

One of the first things the panelists pointed out is that the policies stores create to protect and support trans employees come from the same source of love and care they hold for any staff person in any struggle they face, be it being trans, or an immigrant, or disabled, or poor. One of the first and best things store owners can do is ask themselves "what policies would make it easiest for my employees to...get paid? receive their health insurance? update their personal information? be respected?"

Some suggestions from panelists:

• Limit the amount of information about your employees you report to the government. Only fill out paperwork that is legally necessary. Look at your local city laws, your state laws, and your federal laws around what must be reported on about a given employee, and do the least.
  
  
• Revisit store hiring policies. Are background checks necessary? Can your reference requests be more generous? A more human hiring process can lead to better employee retention.
  
  
• Be flexible in scheduling. Employees may need extra time to complete basic things like updating their Real ID or changing their personal information on a lease or rental agreement.
  
  
• Check your store health insurance policy for gender-affirming care, hormone replacement therapy and especially coverage for mental health needs. Be open with your staff about what your store can and can't afford to cover. Keep a list of local hospitals or urgent care facilities that are safe for your employees.
  
  
• Stay informed about the issues, including local and national laws, facing your staff. Reach out to local groups for help in navigating local and state laws. Look for LGBTQ centers and business associations, and your local chapter of the ACLU.

Panelists also discussed how store owners and managers can advocate for gender diverse staff in their own communities, in-store and online safety plans and basic steps to avoid or manage online harassment, and some basic advice on using pronouns and correcting mistakes.

Resources mentioned:

https://www.aclu.org/ (local chapters)
Lambda Legal
The Transgender Law Center
Suggested Reading List from Charis Books (includes many lists for transgender books)

Resources from the ABA (may require login):

• How to Support Staff Impacted by Recent Anti-LGBTQIA2S+ Actions
• Travel Tips and Resources for LGBTQIA2S+ & Immigrant Wi2025 Attendees
• The ABA Right to Read Toolkit
• Planning a Secure Drag Story Time Event
• 6 Steps to Help Deal with Curation Protests
• Training Staff to Deal with Curation Challenges
• If your free expression is challenged, call the ABFE Hotline at 914-406-7534 for advice or support!