So I am an amab Non binary person. I work with children in a sport environment. The place i work at is a small buisness and caters to athletes of all ages, I came in as a specialist from a very well known company in the sport and industry. (Worked with Olympians, trained by Olympic level coaches) I can work in all programs which include boys, Girls, preschool, teams, pre teams, special education, specialty classes, ect.
I recently wore some longer nails for just a few days, and decided to take them off as they were getting in the way of my hands on work. I did explain to the parents that they were flexible and came off quite easily to ensure the children would not be scratched by them.
Today after teaching three classes I was pulled aside by the owner and was told that some parents were bothered by my nails (this is a very conservative establishment, they were not worried about it being a safety issue). He told me that seeing a “man” with nails has some people worried and that they are scared about it. That having black nails are an issue. (There are several female employees with similar nails)
He then stated that with current times and all these genders it isn't like it used to be, and in his establishment there are strictly only two genders, and the way he said it heavily implied that I must follow traditional gender roles.
I recently moved across the country partly to get away from situations like this.
I am already looking for another job, in a different industry as this one doesn't pay very well (its mostly highschool and college kids). As soon as I get a new job I will immediately resign. Which is bad for them as they are losing lost of staff and are planning on having me take over a program for them. They will not have the staff to cover all the classes and will most likley have to close or severely limit the program.
Once I leave I will offer my services to keep them afloat until they can find staff to fill the position, however I will come in as an independent contractor with a much higher rate.