The transgender carpenter hoping to build safer workplaces for queer tradies

For Wollongong carpenter Jimmy Rizk, being transgender has never really been a talking point on a job site. 

Following his transition about seven years ago, he has grown a full beard, developed gym-built muscles and now appears just as masculine as his male colleagues at work.

It has given him an unfiltered insight into the transphobia and homophobia that exists within trades industries.

“It never really crops up for me because I’m not visibly trans, so other tradies make comments because they think I’m one of them and part of the boys’ club,” Mr Rizk said.

“It puts me on edge because I don’t want to out myself because after spending time with some of these people, I see what their attitude is towards trans and queer people.

‘You worry you won’t be safe’

After initially studying and pursuing a career in performing arts, Mr Rizk, a talented musician and singer, changed tack and gravitated towards a career as a carpenter several years after transitioning.

It meant that by the time he became a tradie, no one suspected he might be transgender, but he said being part of the LGBTQI community could still be a barrier to pursuing a trade career for many.

“I have a lesbian friend that’s going to shadow me on a job soon and she had reservations being a female in a male-dominated career and being gay, because if you don’t know what an employer’s attitudes are, you worry you won’t be safe,” Mr Rizk said.

“We need to create a culture where everybody feels safe to try it out because you never know what career path will mesh well with the kind of person you are.”

‘Be respectful in clients’ homes’

For members of the LGBTQI community, the home is a particularly important place.

It is somewhere they can feel safe in their own identity and can live life on their terms.

For that reason, Mr Rizk said having tradespeople visit the house for work could cause anxiety.

“Your home is your safe space, so if you take that and apply it to trans and queer people, sometimes they’re not getting that validation of who they are anywhere else, so if people come into their home and don’t respect that, that’s going to hit hard,” he said.

“I really want to try and help change that.”

He said that shift needs to start with tradies cutting out sexist or homophobic jokes while at clients’ homes, and becoming more aware of gender identity.

That can mean asking a client what their pronouns are, especially if a tradie suspects they might be LGBTQI.

“I don’t like this idea where people rock up and you treat a client like a number and take the humanity out of it.

“You need to be respectful of people, especially in their home.”

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