How do you navigate being gender critical in a woke workplace?

[OttilieStonelady]

Just that really... Can anyone share their experience?

I don't pen myself as gender critical I state I am passionate about the rights of women and girls.
Join the equality, diversity and inclusion group. This way you get heads up on what is happening. I recently sent the link to the Maya case law to my HR, but marked it private so I could talk more freely but still did it in third person. Whenever I bring anything up I talk in the third person and offer an alternative view like the discussion around cis. Those who don't believe in gender identity ideology can't be labelled cis as it is exclusionary. I know it's not much but if you need your job you have to be careful. I had an informal complaint against me and was accused of perceived transphobia for wearing a woman definition lanyard so it is easy to be targeted and silenced (I agreed not to wear the lanyard, the implication being if I carried on it would escalate to a formal complaint, which I couldn't risk).
Also small private chats with people to raise issues, the Olympics will be an interesting discussion point.

You’ll just have to stay silent, in my experience.

I bite my tongue a lot. A lot. There's one vocal transwomen who has a gift for bringing every conversation down to bathroom usage, even when we're discussing direct discrimination against women (fired during maternity leave, denied promotion because "don't fit with the culture" of the all-male management team etc) and it is so hard not to roll my eyes. Nobody is even stopping her from using the ladies, she's outraged because at other companies other transwomen allegedly can't poopoo where they want and how the UK is the terven capital of the world how horrid boohoo. It's a matter of staying scrupulously courteous but at the same time ignoring the rant and trying to refocus the conversation. Easier said than done though.

I'm openly feminist, I make sure everyone knows it, and whenever someone mentions intersectionality I jump in with oh yes let's not forget racism / ableism. Deeds not words too - I'm an ally of the antiracist group and different abilities at work groups so can advertise their events etc. I think people perceive me as a slightly annoying person who will fight like a bulldog the moment you utter the phrase maternity leave. Managers are careful around me, I can and will tell hr when the company does not respect employment law so no one has pressured me into pronouning my email signature yet. Other women turn to me for advice when up the duff. The transwoman probably despises my bioessentialist concerns if they even register on her radar.

We're too tight to cough up money for stonewall though, that helps.

Hoping you sound much braver than me!

My last teaching job the principal sent and all staff email telling us that Jane was now officially James and that anyone with any questions would find his office door open.

As James is one of my oldest friends I know this was done with his permission. I also know that very few people batted an eyelid. Just tried hard to remember and James wasn't too bothered if someone got it wrong.

Nowadays I am just bloody grateful I am self employed and have no intention of asking myself to announce my preferred pronouns!