BATAVIA – What should a business owner or human resources director do when an employee comes to say he or she is transgender and will be transitioning on the job – say from a Charles to a Charli?

It happens, said Joliet attorney Emma Vosicky, who herself went through the transition from the male gender assigned to her at birth to the female gender she identified with.

Vosicky spoke to representatives of 15 businesses June 6 at Water Street Studios in Batavia for an introductory training about how to create a safe space for employees in the LGBTQ+ community. The training session was sponsored by Youth Outlook, a nonprofit that provides suicide prevention, counseling and support to LGBTQ youth.

“You should support your transitioning employee,” Vosicky said. “It’s the law not to discriminate. … Create a plan with your employee. … Listen to them and they will lead the way, but do not ask them to educate you. That is not their job."

The employer needs to consider washrooms, lockers, clients, a name change until the legal name change – and pronouns, she said.

Indeed, pronouns. The training session began with introductions of names and what pronouns are used, such as he/him or she/her.

Vosicky said senior management must maintain confidentiality for the transitioning employee, the same as for HIPPA, the health privacy law.

While legal rulings protect the LGBTQ employees, the first place to look is how the boss treats them, Vosicky said.

When senior management accepts this diversity, the other employees will take their cue because they will understand the company has that employee’s back, she said.

Aside from it being the law, Vosicky said, "It’s just common human decency.”

“Having a diverse clientele and staff is highly beneficial,” Vosicky said. “If you have multiple ways of thinking, acting and expressing in your business, the diversity of opinion and thought leads to innovation and creativity."

Another reason for a company to step up is that there is a large LGBT teenage community in Kane County who will be looking for jobs – and spending money, Vosicky said.

“They’ll be interviewing you, too,” Vosicky said. “And they can tell if you’re uncomfortable.”

Nancy Mullen, executive director of Youth Outlook, said businesses were starting to display a rainbow sticker in their windows to indicate they were welcoming to the LGBTQ community. The sticker also includes the transgender colors, brown for people of color and black for those who have been silenced by AIDS, she said.

The rainbow sticker also indicates safe restrooms that are single-stall, she said.

"This is a physical risk for me," Mullen said of using restrooms. "I know people who have been punched in the face in the bathroom situation. I, personally, have been asked to leave a lot of women's restrooms, or told I am in the wrong place."

Businesses interested in more information should contact the Community Networks of Illinois Kane County at www.commnetworks.org, Mullen said.

Holly Deitchman, executive director of the Batavia Chamber of Commerce, said the business community should be welcoming to the LGBTQ community.

"I was hearing from some employers that they were struggling, wondering how they could address the issue with their employees," Deitchman said. "This was a wonderful opportunity for them to get quick definitions and get started on a learning process so they can be more supportive of their staff."