Hey Reader,

Welcome to issue #002 of The Next Chapter, a career planning newsletter for LGBTQ+ professionals.

This week, I'm covering:

• Reimagining networking as community building
• Tracking anti-trans legislation in the U.S.
• Including your pronouns on your resume
• Pay-what-you-want career support

I'm glad you're here. Let's dive in.

Tend to your community

In the last issue, I encouraged queer folks to invest in community. But how do you build a professional community?

My philosophy is grounded in a simple metaphor: gardening.

For those looking to cultivate meaningful connections, I encourage them to think about it in three parts:

Stage 1: Planting

Ask yourself: who do you want to meet?

Planting is about curiosity. These are the connections you don’t have yet but want to grow. You're putting energy into discovery, not pitching.

Stage 2: Nurturing

Ask yourself: who do you want to deepen your connection with?

Nurturing is about consistency. These are the early or occasional connections that could grow stronger with care. This stage is about building authentic relationships that are rooted in trust.

Stage 3: Harvesting

Ask yourself: who do you want to ask for help?

Harvesting is about asking for help with clarity and respect. These are the relationships where you actually know each other. You're ready to make a specific ask, whether that’s an introduction, feedback, or support.

Shoutout to Rey Gigante of Rey Somatics for inspiring the inclusion of this section.

Plan for your safety

If you're in the U.S., you’re well aware that the politicians have been targeting both trans adults and youth through legislation. Erin Reed, an independent journalist who focuses on trans and queer news, released her latest edition of the Anti-Trans National Legal Risk Assessment Map in August.

To be clear, I hate that I have to share this information.

But if you’re considering traveling or moving to another part of the country as part of your career journey, I encourage you to equip yourself with knowledge so you can make informed decisions to support your livelihood.

If there are other resources you’ve found helpful in navigating interstate travel as an LGBTQ+ person, I’d love to hear about them—feel free to reply directly with recommendations.

Pronouns on resumes?

A job seeker recently asked me whether they should include their pronouns on their resume or LinkedIn.

As you might have guessed, there’s no right or wrong answer here. There’s a wide range of views on this topic within the LGBTQ+ community.

If you’re on the fence, here are some questions to help you think through it:

• How important is it to you to signal your identity (or allyship) early in the job search process?
• At what point in your relationship with a prospective employer would you feel comfortable disclosing your pronouns?
• What are the norms in your industry, location, and target companies regarding pronoun inclusion?
• How would being misgendered during interviews affect your ability to assess whether this is the right workplace for you?
• Would you want to work for an employer that rejected you for including your pronouns?

At the end of the day, I encourage you to make these types of decisions based on your needs for safety, affirmation, and security.

Pay-what-you-want career support

Every week, I offer a limited number of 20-minute, pay-what-you-want sessions to LGBTQ+ professionals.

These are meant to be bite-sized conversations to help you get unstuck. Whether you’re gainfully employed or looking for your next job, we all need a little help sometimes.

Tell me what’s on your mind

I want this newsletter to be community-driven. It’s meant for you, so it should be valuable to you.

Future issues will look different and cover different topics. I’ll be experimenting and collecting feedback along the way, so don’t be shy about hitting the ‘Reply’ button.

Tell me what you’d love to see—it might just end up in the next issue.

See you next week.