Accommodating transgender workers

NewsDay.com – Carrie Mason-Draffen

DEAR CARRIE: I recently took a job at a research company. The environment is low-stress, with one big exception: a co-worker I’ll call “Karen.” She is a man who is changing her gender to female. It would appear Karen has had breast implants. And she may be getting hormone therapy. She disrupts staff meetings, and bosses seem amused by her. I just pretend to snooze, because I don’t want to buy into the antics. That’s not the worst of it. I recently saw Karen coming out of the men’s room. This made me very uncomfortable. I have no qualms about sharing a rest room with a gay man. But Karen is another matter. I’d like to know what the law says, if anything, about my having to share a men’s room with someone like Karen.

Potty Rights

DEAR POTTY RIGHTS: You’re dealing with two separate issues: One is a leadership matter, and the other is a legal concern.