'I Really Felt That The Odds Were Stacked Against Me': A CC Legal Secretary on His Trans Journey

On this year's Trans Day of Remembrance, Tate Smith speaks about his experiences of facing prejudice at work and how firms can help to protect trans employees.

By Hannah Roberts

The U.K. legal industry has taken great strides to try to improve the working environment for its transgender workforce in recent years. But for Clifford Chance junior legal support secretary Tate Smith, the journey to being able to bring his full self to work has not been an easy one.

Tate knows all too well the prejudices that trans people can face at work. While working at another professional services organisation, Tate decided to transition a couple of years ago, aged 19, having had to move out of his family home to do so. Despite an initially positive reaction to Tate’s decision from his management team, the situation soon soured.

“When I first told them about my plans, they were happy to give me time off to go to the clinic and to all my appointments,” says Tate. “But as soon as I told them that I was starting testosterone in April 2019, they just presumed that I was going to turn into the Incredible Hulk. They thought that I was going to get angrier, be more difficult to work with, and that my work performance would drop as a result.”

Soon after that followed a series of management-mandated trips to an occupational health therapist, who Tate says only affirmed his belief that transitioning would in fact make him an even better employee, as well as a more confident person.

“I really felt that the odds were stacked against me,” says Tate.

“To top it all off, in my six-month probation meeting, the manager and HR person actually extended my probation by another three months because I was transgender, because they just didn’t know what would happen to me.”

“I knew that I was not going to pass my probation and knew that it was nothing to do with my work. I was great at my job and I had really enjoyed it there. But that treatment was horrible.”

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Joining CC’s London office was a stark change to his previous experiences, Tate says. Having joined the firm around the time when the firm was putting up its Pride displays, Tate felt immediately welcomed. “It was like I just walked in and they were saying hi to me, saying, ‘You are welcome here’.”

And on seeing that the firm had implemented a trans policy back in 2016, Tate felt more reassured than ever. “I just thought, ‘Oh my God, I’m actually going to be safe here’. Imagine thinking that? But this is what you have to think about as a trans person.”

But 2020 has been a year of ups and downs for Tate. Back in July, he underwent top surgery, with CC’s insurance policy covering the costs. A nasty wound infection and some “physically painful follow ups” aside, Tate says he is “very pleased” with the results of the surgery.

His advice to law firms looking to improve their trans policies and support networks is to lead from the top. “If (law firm leaders) show how trans-inclusive they are, it’s even more helpful for making sure all colleagues are aware of this policy and that any forms of misgendering or mis-pronouncing, harassment or any rude or unnecessary comments are taken seriously.”

Training sessions on using the correct terminology and providing extra managerial support for trans people should also be more widely rolled out, says Tate, “so you’re not over-prying but you’re being there”.

Tate is now the director of firm outreach at Queer Lawyers of Tomorrow, a new platform set up for aspiring LGBTQ+ lawyers, and is currently studying law at Birkbeck University in his evenings.

Being involved with volunteering initiatives is something that is important to Tate, who adds that it is important to him to be open and authentic at work, and for trans people in the industry to be able to “help each other”.

“When I talk about me being trans now and I discuss my transition with my managers, it’s on my terms. At the old place, they were pulling me into meetings every single week because they became so obsessed with the fact that I was about to start testosterone.

“Here at Clifford Chance, it’s all about my work and my role as a legal secretary. And that is invaluable.”