A success story:
CATS moderator Amy Garbati shares her story of self-discovery | The Gay Issue 2011 | Charleston City Paper: "At the time, Garbati was prepared for a negative reaction at work and began searching for a job out of town. She finally decided that she would approach her boss, telling him, 'This is what's going on in my life. Do you think this is something that can happen in this location or do I need to look for another job?
'There was no written policy at the time,' Garbati adds. 'The possibility was that I could have walked in there and gotten fired that day.'
Instead, the management was receptive, and Garbati worked with them to draft a corporate policy regarding LGBT issues. The position was that every employee is judged on their performance. 'I couldn't ask for any more,' Garbati says.
And the announcement to the rest of the staff was overwhelmingly positive. Garbati received congratulatory e-mails and notes of encouragement. When she walked into the office for the first time a week later as Amy, people were stopping her and saying, 'Hey Amy, welcome back.'"
