The Perfect “Trans-storm”

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Raffi Freedman Gurspan, the first openly transgender employee of the US White House (AP Photo / National Center for Transgender Equality)

Raffi Freedman Gurspan, the first openly transgender employee of the US White House (AP Photo / National Center for Transgender Equality)


Many people are familiar with the term, “The perfect storm” that describes an event where a rare combination of circumstances will impact a situation drastically. I truly believe we are now in “a perfect storm” for the fight for equality including workplace and health benefits for transgender people. Many positive recent happenings have now all aligned so that is there is a tremendous focus on understanding and appreciating this misunderstood and often maligned segment of our population.

As a diversity consultant with a deep expertise in LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) Diversity, when I have presented an LGBT Diversity workshops to Human Resources Professionals throughout 2015 (see my blog about this), a vast majority of questions during the Q and A time are about the transgender segment. Just last week I delivered a workshop titled “Corporate and Organizational Support for Transgender People: The Whys and Hows” at the monthly meeting of the HR Management Association of Greensboro (North Carolina) to a sold out crowd of over 150 engaged HR practitioners. Yes – we are not talking New York City nor San Francisco, but here in North Carolina!

Here are the five items in chronological order which I believe have contributed to what I have termed this “perfect trans-storm:”

1) The 2009 “coming out” of high profile celebrity Chas Bono, the child of pop singers Sonny and Cher.

2) The growing popularity of transgender television star Laverne Cox on the hit television show “Orange is the New Black” which premiered in 2013 and is still running. And this was followed in 2014 with a photo of Laverne Cox on the cover of Time Magazine with the story titled “The Transgender Tipping Point – America’s Next Civil Rights Frontier.”

3) The executive order signed by US President Obama on July 21, 2014 making it illegal to fire or harass employees of federal contractors based on their sexual orientation or gender identity and explicitly adding discrimination against transgender employees within the federal government. Link to blog about this announcement.

4) The much publicized gender transition of Olympic champion Bruce Jenner to Caitlyn in July of this year.
SRHM Mag Cover

5) On August 19, 2015, The White house announcing the hiring of its first openly transgender staff member, Raffi Freedman-Gurspan, Outreach and Recruiter Director for Presidential Personnel.

Coincidentally, the day I presented my workshop at the Greensboro SHRM (Society of Human Resource Management) chapter meeting, the September issue of the SHRM monthly “HR Magazine” was delivered to my home. And the cover story? “The New Face of Diversity – Transgender Employee Policies Are Gaining Support – Are You Ready?”

Inspiration and Business Lessons from a Local Entrepreneur – Taylor Fish Farm

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Taylor Fish FarmIn my last blog two weeks ago (link), I wrote about the luncheon speaker at the Marketplace 2015 event, John Palmour who started technology company Cree and grew it to a $1.6B global business. And just as John was an inspirational speaker, I also found inspiration from a local entrepreneur and business owner who I met for the first time and who was seated next to me lunch: Valee Taylor, cofounder and co-owner of Taylor Fish Farm (link) in rural, charming Cedar Grove, North Carolina. I was intrigued, and scheduled an appointment to visit Valee and his fish business.

Entrepreneur and Taylor Fish Farm co-founder Valee Taylor standing in front of one of his large tilapia pools

Entrepreneur and Taylor Fish Farm co-founder Valee Taylor standing in front of one of his large tilapia pools


Here is a little of Valee’s story: He grew up in a rural farming family in North Carolina and was one of the first African-Americans to attend and graduate from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, despite groups like the Ku Klux Klan who were working hard to prevent Black North Carolinians from advancing. After working for several decades and retiring, Valee and his sister had a vision for starting an agribusiness near their rural farm. Valee worked for several months as an unpaid intern with the NC State University Cooperative Extension Service to learn about fish farming, and then with their assistance established Taylor Fish Farm in 2009. Valee prides himself on running an outstanding model business, providing us with the best tasting and healthy tilapia in the world. (see their sign in the first photos above.)

Taylor Fish Farm continues to operate successfully as a family-owned business and is certified by the National Minority Supplier Development Council. And Valee believes in giving back to his community by funding the nearby Anathoth Community Garden which now feeds 132 needy families. (see photos below)
Anathoth Community Garden
Here are some key business lessons we can all learn from this inspirational entrepreneur:
• In starting a new business, we do not need to do it alone. Valee aligned himself with top experts in the agribusiness field to learn the fundamentals of the business.
• As a smaller local business, Valee knew he had to differentiate himself from the mega-companies from China supplying fish to the US. He did this by developing a product using leading scientific methods that has a superior taste and that is contains only a minuscule fraction of contaminants as prescribed by US Whole Food Quality Standards. And being state-side, he can get truly fresh fish to the market quickly instead of sending it half way around the world.
• Valee reinvests his funds back into his business as well as supporting community work instead of surrounding himself with unnecessary trapping. We met in an un-airconditioned small cement block office with simple furniture. No fancy company car and ornate corporate furniture for Valee!

So, readers of this blog, when you shop for tilapia, ask your grocer if they buy Taylor Fish Farm tilapia, and seek the best taste and highest quality from this American-based supplier!