Cisnormative accounting organizations: recording the experiences of transgender people in Brazil

Purpose This study aimed to record, understand and problematize, in the light of transfeminism, the experiences of transgender people who have transited and/or are transiting through accounting organizations in Brazil. Design/methodology/approach This article provides detailed information on the oppression present in accounting offices in Brazil and how oppressive actions impact the experiences of trans workers in the workplace. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted with: a) two transgender women, b) two transgender men and c) two non-binary people, with various identity markers in relation to gender, race, sexuality, age, disability and socio-economic class. The stories were categorized and analyzed using Dialogic Thematic Analysis. After the analysis, we present a map of resistance strategies in the Brazilian accounting environment. Findings The participants reported negative experiences in organizational accounting environments in Brazil, marked by prejudice, discrimination, disrespect for gender identity, erroneous pronoun treatment and physical and psychological violence committed by cisgender managers and co-workers, mainly cisgender men. We identified the use of resistance strategies in these environments in the participants' narratives, including the development of technical skills, professional experience, remote training and the use of cisgender passability as a coping mechanism. Originality/value This study makes significant contributions to understanding the experiences of transgender workers in accounting organizations in Brazil, the most oppressive country for this population in the world. Our findings fill gaps in the literature on the experiences of non-cisgender gender identities in accounting and can help improve corporate actions for the inclusion, permanence and belonging of diverse people in accounting organizations. This study also contributes to the gap in the literature, encouraging the development of new studies so that the voices of trans workers can be heard, stories can be told and recorded and oppression denounced.