Rex Wilde · Rex Wilde Consulting

Rex Wilde has spent more than a decade in rooms where the subject is uncomfortable and the audience is not always friendly. They have knocked on doors in 10 states for federal employment protections, built a workforce development program for trans and gender-expansive workers, and co-produced the largest transgender career fair in the world.

Since 2019, that work has run through their own firm. Rex Wilde Consulting has now trained more than 200 companies, including Spectrum/Charter, UPS, ADP, and the Sundance Institute.

They answered our questions from Los Angeles.

I wanted to be a paleontologist because I was obsessed with Jurassic Park. I loved Sam Neill and Laura Dern and wanted to be them.

We are a firm dedicated to integrating transgender and gender-expansive (TGX+) inclusion into broader diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) frameworks within organizations. As a nonbinary LGBTQ+ educator and business consultant with over a decade of experience, I specialize in training workshops, policy consulting, and strategic advising.

My company's work empowers workplaces to foster environments where TGX+ inclusion promotes a sense of belonging for all employees. I've provided training for over 200 companies, including Spectrum/Charter, UPS, ADP, and the Sundance Institute.

Since 2019, built on over a decade of experience in LGBTQ+ education and workplace advocacy.

My passion for advocacy was sparked during my undergrad when I studied sociology and started getting involved with the LGBTQ+ community on my campus. I started providing training to staff and faculty on how to be supportive of LGBTQ+ students through our Safe Space program.

Once I graduated, I started working for an organization, doing policy advocacy work, specifically working on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). For this work, I went door-to-door having conversations with thousands of folks in 10 different states over the course of a year discussing the importance of employment protections for the LGBTQ+ community. This was back in 2011, and we didn't see federal employment protections until 2020.

From there, I ended up working with a nonprofit in Los Angeles that was focused on economic empowerment of the TGX+ community, TransCanWork. I helped them build out a prominent workforce development program for transgender and gender-expansive individuals. It was during this work that I started to see how great a need there was for education about TGX+ identities in the corporate space. While running our workforce development arm, I also spearheaded our training initiatives with companies and organizations across the country.

In 2019, I co-produced the Transcend Career Fair, which is to date the largest transgender career fair in the world. We saw over 500 transgender and gender-expansive individuals attend the career fair while partnering with 74 different employers in Los Angeles. This event led me to see how great the need was for corporate education of transgender and gender-expansive individuals, and how needed it was to have sustainable strategies for inclusion within those organizations.

This led me to start my own consulting business, Rex Wilde Consulting, where I now work with organizations all across the United States on bolstering their policy, educational, and DEI initiatives from a trans-inclusive lens.

The current climate is horrifying for transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive individuals. Since 2020, over 2,000 pieces of anti-trans legislation have been proposed throughout state legislatures. In the past year alone, we have seen more than 999 bills proposed, 122 which have been passed.

Working as a TGX+ business consultant amid the rise in anti-trans legislation is often challenging. While I get the joy of working with organizations that care and want to make a difference for the trans and gender-expansive community, I still experience the incredible pain that comes with being a trans person during a time when there is so much hatred toward our community.

It can be painful to do this work and know how much more there is to be done to truly cultivate an equitable world for our community. It's incredibly difficult to not only know the stats and figures around harassment and discrimination experienced in our community, but to also watch it play out in the lives of my friends, immediate community, and larger community both in the United States and around the world.

One of the reasons I got into this work is because one of my best friends, who was a trans femme of color, died by suicide after decades of experiencing exclusion, harassment, and harm because of their identity. I think about them every single day. They are one of my main motivators for why I do what I do amid such a difficult climate because I want to contribute to creating the world that they deserved to live in. One that would see them for the incredible and beautiful human that they were.

I keep every note and email I get from folks I've worked with or who have seen me speak or have gone through a workshop of mine telling me that I made an impact for them. Whether I helped them understand trans people more, become a more welcoming parent, or learn how to intervene when their coworkers (intentionally or unintentionally) mistreat someone who is trans, remembering that my work has a real impact allows me to stay connected to the big picture. That big picture shows me what our world can be and what it deserves to be for the TGX+ community.

Where many organizations focus on one-and-done trainings or ERG engagements, Rex Wilde Consulting LLC provides a holistic model, which we built through years of experience, research, and dual feedback from community and organizations we work with.

We created and now utilize the 4 Pillars of TGX+ Workplace Inclusion Model. Supporting organizations in areas of education, policy, engagement, and assessment provides the opportunity for organizations to understand where they are now and visualize where they're going.

This model allows for organizations to take on a community-centered actionable approach to ensuring their TGX+ initiatives meet the needs of their organization, while driving metrics to ensure measurable outcomes.

When I'm not working, I'm often writing songs, spending time with my dog Chomper, and surfing. Last year, I produced The Neurodivergent Voices Album, where I brought together 12 LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent musicians across Los Angeles County, who each contributed an original song.

Through this collaborative project, I got to bring together my passions for music, queer community, and disability justice, providing an opportunity for these 12 very talented musicians to have their voices heard. At the same time, the project ensured a safe space through our disability-centered approach, including COVID-19 safety protocols to protect immunocompromised and chronically ill participants.

Taos, New Mexico. I lived in Albuquerque during my years of organizing for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and fell entirely in love with the state of New Mexico. From the incredible food (I love Hatch green chiles!), to the community-centered nature of the people, to the region's prioritization of local indigenous communities, it was an incredible place to live.

I've visited Taos many times and experienced one of the most beautiful hikes I've ever been on at Italianos Canyon. I think of it often. Anytime I'm asked to think of my "happy place," it's there.

Approach your work from a standpoint of connection and building relationships with others. Find supporters of your work in your network and make ways to connect with them regularly. You can't do this work alone. And it's so much more fun when you get to do it with others.