Bowie Rowan
@bowie · 0:33
#TransAtWork | Talk with welder, fabricator, and mechanic Annastaysia (she/her)
Anastasia is a welder fabricator and maintenance mechanic, which just the coolest job ever. I have always had some inclinations toward welding, so I am inspired Anastasia. In addition to working those really awesome jobs, she also advocates for the LGBTQIA plus community. Anastasia, I'm so excited to have you as part of my transit work series. Thank you so much for being here with us on Swell
Bowie Rowan
@bowie · 0:14
Anastasia, I would love to start out by hearing a little bit about your work journey. How did you get started out in your career and what initially drew you to it?
Bowie Rowan
@bowie · 0:42
Something I love about this series is just how diverse and incredible people's stories are of transition or coming out or realizing that they're trans. Please feel free to share as much or as little as you feel comfortable, but I know listeners would love to hear a bit more about your story of realizing that you're trans and transitioning and how did that impact your working life at all, either during, before and currently
Swell Team
@Swell · 0:15
Bowie Rowan
@bowie · 0:38
Lastly, I would love to hear, based on your experience in all the work you do and within your community, and also as an advocate for us LGBTQIA plus folks, what is it that you hope for the future of those who are trans at work? What do you think that we need to address and work towards first and foremost, and what do you dream that we might be able to see during our lifetime? Thank you so much for sharing. I'm so happy to be in conversation with
And if they do, then they can just hire me. So they weren't going to give me the job. And I was like, okay, well, I'm just going to throw it out there. So I literally told them what my mom had told me, and they're like, we really like that ambition. Like, we have to pay you, but just by what you just said, we're going to give you the job
This is my preferred name. These are my pronouns, and they are absolutely gorgeous to me. I am so blessed to have this. I started HRT on April 25, 2022, so I just celebrated one year, and it's been crazy, and it's exhausting. And sometimes I just want to be able to breathe and there's so much to be done. And now it's going to meet my bottom surgeon in July and then go to meet my vocal surgeon in August
I think that it's just so important to pass on this knowledge so we can continue, because for most of us, when we start out, we're really confused, and I literally didn't even know where to start with a doctor. And so that stuff is important as far as, like, educating the community is a big, big thing about who we are and why we are
Bowie Rowan
@bowie · 1:14
And I just hope that anyone who hears this conversation with you is able to you take some of that joy in, even if their circumstances aren't the same or ideal right now, and to also remember that they deserve to feel safe and supported wherever they work and live. Thank you so much. I'm so grateful that we got to be in conversation, and I'm so grateful to have heard more of your story. Lots of love