The Bilerico Project | Daily experiments in LGBTQ

Fortune Small Business magazine put out an article on transgender workers today, available on the CNNMoney.com site. Entitled "When a staffer switches genders," the subtitle emphasizes tolerance and respect: "Coping with major changes can flummox a workplace, but you can protect your bottom line and your employees by promoting tolerance and respect."

The article features the story of Tony Ferraiolo, who transitioned from female to male while working at a small business. The theme here is that such transitions can work well, though there are some issues to be ironed out. Ferraiolo, incidentally, is the founder of the Jim Collins Foundation, which provides financial assistance to transgender people for gender-confirming surgeries.

The stories of several other trans people are also mentioned, the author discusses the evolution of discrimination law, and there is an interesting sidebar discussing the steps businesses should take regarding diversity. I have a curmudgeonly little quote at the end, grousing about the importance of workplace civility. I would have liked to see some more specifics discussed about the types of issues that employers face when employee transition, but there are plenty of resources out there, Overall, I think it is wonderful that there is another article in the mainstream business press. Eventually, these will reach enough members of the business community that this issue becomes a non-issue.