Between Precarity and ‘Employment Sanctuaries’: Investigating the Experiences of Transgender Women Working in the LGBT+ Charity Sector in the UK

This thesis explores the everyday experiences of trans women working in the LGBT+ charity sector, using an autoethnographic, qualitative approach that utilises semi-structured, in-depth interviews.

Nine participants who self-identified as trans women detailed their everyday experiences of working in the sector, including how the sector compares to other forms of employment available to them. This thesis also considers how participants documented emergent power relations within the sector. The concept of the LGBT+ charity sector as an 'employment sanctuary’ is developed to explore how participants experienced the sector as both a site of inclusion and a site of dependency. Thematic analysis is used to interpret this data, producing three major themes: Professionalism, Precarity and Relationships.

Findings in the thesis include how the sector presents trans women with the opportunity to (re)establish themselves as professional workers. However, seeking a profession in the sector is based on a sense of dependency due to the precarious lives that participants face. Precarity is heightened by the sector’s difficulties to secure funding and not provide enough services for trans women amidst a rising, emboldened trans antagonism. Participants are limited in the kind of relationships they have in the sector. The relationships participants do have highlight the importance of making connections with other trans women and the lack of opportunities that trans women have in becoming leaders in the sector.

This thesis concludes that the LGBT+ charity sector provides an opportunity for trans women to seek out a welcoming, inclusive profession. Yet, it also depends on their labour to ensure its survival, hindering other opportunities at professions outside of the sector. Trans women need more inclusive employment opportunities to develop professional skills, ensuring that the LGBT+ charity sector does not remain a dependable employment option.