Came Out as a Trangender Air Traffic Controller

Hello everyone. A lot has happened over the last year and a half and I have not been very active on this board. I still am hesitant to write this post, however there are very few sources of information for those that suffer from Gender Identity Disorder and are or want to be Air Traffic Controllers. So I am writing this for those that share my unique situation.

If you have Gender Identity Disorder(GID) you may feel that you are alone and that transition is not congruent with the rules and people that we work with. It may seem as though you have to make a choice between being your true self and your career. You may think that everyone will hate you and that the flight surgeon will pull your medical if you so much as think of seeing a therapist.

Well, none of the above is true. The rules definitely allow you to be yourself, and you will probably find you have more support than you ever imagined. It will by no means be an easy road, but if your a controller, you should be used to the hard road already. If you take your time and plan accordingly you can have your career and your true identity.

For those of you that have known me (and those that do not), my name is now April. I am a trainee at Indy Center (ZID) and have been since 2008. Rumors started in the facility in August and I began presenting as myself last week. The support I have received since coming out has been amazing.

For the last year my training has mostly been suspended due to running out of time on my 2nd set of r-sides after obtaining all my D-sides, and first two R-sides. While awaiting the results of my review board, I finally decided I needed to deal with my GID. I tried finding information, but my search for ATC transgender information on the internet did not produce much. I found FAA GLOBE, but it took almost a month and a half for them to help.

They finally got me in contact with a controller in New Jersey named Stacy Nowak who(like me) had transitioned while in training. She started out in a high level facility and had trouble towards the end of training(again like me), but eventually transferred and began transition. Her second facility was very rough on her, but eventually she came out and transfered one more time to her last facility where she was accepted with open arms and became a highly respected CPC.

She was a godsend to me and saved my career(and most likely my life). She walked me through trying to transfer and finally getting therapy. She also helped me come out to the flight surgeon and was just the support i needed to get by.

I was placed back in training in March of this year, but attempted to voluntarily transfer in April after coming out to my manager and union rep because I just didn't believe transition would be possible at ZID and if it was, I didn't think I had the strength. Stacy encouraged me to transfer because of that belief, so I tried and was supposed to leave in June.....

In May, probably the most tragic thing that has ever happened to me occurred. On May 8th Stacy was closing up the tower by herself. Apparently she went to the restroom and died of natural causes. She was the same age as me (31). It was devastating to say the least.... I wound up flying out for her wake, however after the wake I reached my breaking point for stress and lost my medical clearance shortly after....

Losing my medical clearance was potentially career ending.......It ended my transfer hopes and my manager had every right to fire me at that point.... Luckily he and my union rep must have believed in me because he gave me admin duty to work on all my problems and wait to get my medical clearance back.

I used that time wisely and got the support I needed. When rumors started in August about me, I got pretty afraid, but nobody really treated me different. They only asked when/if I was coming back to training.

By the time my legal name change occurred and I entered the facility as April, most were very accepting, if not not fully supportive of my transition. I constantly ask myself now what I was so worried about?

So the moral of this story is if you have GID and are or want to be a controller, don't worry.....You can have your career and your true identity........Start seeing a therapist and get support.........You can always contact me and I will give you as much support as I can.

Just have to remember.........It get's better........

Well written, from my side I could really care less what gender you are or were. If you enjoy your job and help me do mine I'm ecstatic. If this improves your quality of life, of course you should do it. On the selfish side, the happier you are, the sooner I get my clearance.

Now, if you've had sleep apnea in the past... Whoa... we're gonna have some words...

I am happy to see that acceptance of the LGBT community is growing, it is one of the great improvements in morality of the early 21st century. And you're part of the change for good, so thank you.

Actually I know a few who have had sleep apnea. I agree that untreated sleep apnea should not be tolerated, however if the sleep apnea is treated, I do not see why someone cannot work if stable.....

I am happy too. I am thankful for those that came before me and paved the path. I hope it can continue. I think the rise of the world wide web has helped the most. The amount of information that is available now really has led to a lot of education, which is the main reason i believe things have got so much better.

A lot more education needs to be given though, that is why I started this thread. My hope is that someone going through what I went through reads this and finds the info I had a tough time finding.

Thanks to both of you for your support.

You have my support too! It takes some guts to come out these days, I applaud you.

That takes a lot of courage. Keep on Keepin' on. If you're ever see a UCA- say wuddup!

I remember hearing about Stacey passing. Sorry for the loss of your mentor and as always saddened at fellow controllers passing. You know hopefully by now being a controller is living in one big support group. I admire your courage. My door is always open via PM.

No kidding, You ever see us going to Cincy, Indy, CHM, DAY, heck anywhere else you work say hello. We need a code word so we know its you!

Update:

Sadly, I have failed training here. I gave it everything I had and have no regrets. Unfortunately some things occurred that are completely unrelated to my transition and I just couldn't cut it anymore.

I am heading back west to where I am from so I am not unhappy in the slightest. I put everything I had into to training here, but it's time now to go back to where my friends, family, and support are. I have been offered and accepted a spot in a tower so I am not completely out of the FAA. I am looking forward to a completely fresh start.

How far west? I would ask "which tower", but for some reason that I can't quite fathom that seems like an intrusive question.

-Fox

Good luck with the tower!

Maybe I will hear you when I am flying GA around.

Hey, sorry to hear that, are you going to a tower?

It isn't the end of the road. Once outside of the center environment you'll be amazed. Some people are just naturally born to work radar and others are naturals in the tower. I've worked with a guy who was top tier at a certain New York tower and again later at a certain even busier tower. Radar just wasn't his thing. He washed at one TRACON and barely treaded water at mine. Terminal is a beautiful thing. Be receptive to awesome new things like divergence and enjoy actually having an office with windows as well as family support. You absolutely aren't on the fringes of the FAA. Put everything you gave ZID to the new facility and you'll be amazed how well you do.

Good thread!

April, I do not know you, but as a fellow controller... shoot as a fellow human being... I applaud your courage and admire the strength it takes to deal with something as difficult as GID. You made it through that fight, when you get to where ever you are going out west, you are going to do just fine, you have the strength to make it. Good luck and if you need someone to vent to, I am a PM (or depending how far west) maybe a brief drive away.

Thank you all for your support. My hope with this thread is to help others in my situation if they came to the crossroads that I did and let them know they are not alone. The progress that has been made in the FAA and federal government as whole with LGBT issues is absolutely phenominal and if someone needs help, I am here..

Good to hear from you again. How is the new office?

It's awesome. Having windows is so much more fun.