Candice Metzler, a transgender woman, will discuss gender identity, social norms and the challenges faced by LGBT youths at the University of Utah College of Social Work today. The presentation, “Breaking through the Gender Illusion,” runs from 4-5:30 p.m. in the social work auditorium. It is free and open to the public. For a campus map, click here.

Metzler is pursuing a master’s of social work and is a member of Voices of Diversity, a student group.

“We want to promote understanding of differences,” said Irene Ota, the College of Social Work’s diversity coordinator. “We were happy to sponsor [Metzler].”

Metzler lost her job as a building inspector after she began her transition from male to female. She struggled to find another job in the construction industry and ended up homeless for nearly a year. I interviewed her for a 2009 story about workplace discrimination.

“We can get past the issue of who’s going to use a bathroom,” she said at the time. “As individuals, we know who we are. We don’t have to have someone tell us who we are. Fairness [is] giving people that respect.”