Introduction For most of my life, I could count on libraries to be spaces where I felt com- fortable and safe. When I first came out as transgender, most public places came with an added level of stress and fear. Between restroom policing by security guards and misgendering at the circulation desk, libraries were no exception. When I became a library student and then a professional librar- ian, I found the same issues, plus additional difficulties navigating a profes- sional environment that remains heavily gendered. The same institutions that insist everyone should feel welcome are rife with cisnormativity and transnegative practices. After graduate school, I found myself at a college where I was the only openly trans employee (campus-wide, not just in the library). While fortu- nate enough to have an incredibly supportive work environment, I still felt the lack of anyone who shared my identity. This sense of isolation seems to be fairly typical among trans and gender variant library workers. It is also not even close to the worst of our workplace difficulties, which in- clude everything from minor microaggressions to transphobia so bad we avoid coworkers or leave jobs. It has been only ten years since the Library of Congress withdrew its job offer to Diane Schroer after she came out as transgender. It is clear that libraries have a huge distance to go before we can consider them safe workplaces for people of all gender identities. The thing is, some libraries are doing splendidly. There are places that have prominent, accessible all-gender restrooms, that maintain current col- lections with good representation, that provide employees and patrons with options for name and pronoun sharing, and all the rest. There are also li- braries where trans and gender variant employees are driven out by hostil- ity from coworkers or managers and where trans patrons fear harassment for using a restroom. Gender inclusion is not taught in library school, and it is rarely part of employee training. Those places that are doing well are
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