Free to be He or She

CTNow.cm – By Casey Miner

Nothing stops CT employers from firing someone because they’re transgendered. A new bill would change that.

Rene Stone strolls gracefully into Atticus Caf? in New Haven, navigating the cramped tables and chairs as she moves toward the back of the room.

She stands out in the crowd, dressed impeccably in a low-necked, blue floral print dress, black stockings and low black heels. Normally, she?d just wear jeans and a shirt, she says, but today she felt like dressing up.

A few years ago, ?dressing up? would have meant a coat and tie, a firm handshake, and a greeting of, ?Hi, I?m Robert.? But Stone has been living openly as a woman since last summer. Only since then has she really felt comfortable in her body, though her transition, she says, had been coming for 56 years.

?Probably the biggest assumption made, and the biggest question, is, are you gay? And I try to explain to them that gender is a different issue than sex. Gender is what?s between your ears, and sex is what?s between your legs.?