Jude Russell (7Dec02) - Photo by Jody Wheat

Gender Transition

I am afraid it's a bit of old news by now, but perhaps you have not stopped by PowerLines for a while, or touched base. The bottom line: the Consulting Engineer and owner of PowerLines, has undergone a gender transition. As of January 2003, Judith M. Russell began living and working full time as a woman.

If you have not seen a copy, you may be interested in reading the letter that I sent to my clients and peers in December of 2002 as an introduction to this subject. (PDF format)

As this change took place at the start of 2003, things have pretty much settled out by now. Remarkably, my clients, customers, and work have not been seriously impacted by this. Much thanks to all of my customers in both my engineering world as well as my production services world. For those who might not yet be in the loop, this page will hopefully answer the most common questions regarding this change not addressed by the letter. Please feel free to email Jude if you have additional questions or comments regarding this matter.

Frequently Asked Questions

How did you choose your new name?

I have been using the name Jude professionally and socially (my middle name from birth) although I legally changed my name to Judith Michaela Russell.

What if I slip up and call you Mike or "he"?

I realize that old habits die hard and change takes time. I also realize that while I have been dealing with this for most of my life, it will be brand new to you if you have just stumbled across this page, or came looking for Mike and found Jude instead. Relax - I remain the same easy-going guy....er....I mean gal that you have worked with, laughed with, and shared a beer with over the years. I can appreciate the humor and lighter side of my situation, and you will find it difficult to offend me.

Why did you do this when you did?

December has been traditionally a slow month for work projects, and the end of the year made a good transition point. However, the primary motivation for transitioning at the start of 2003 was that it had become difficult for me to continue to present myself as a male effectively.

Which email address should we use?

My new email address is jude@powerlines.com. I killed off my old mrussell@powerlines.com address due to SPAM, but just about anything else sent to powerlines.com gets to me one way or another.

Why does the PowerLines website still refer to "Mike" in some places?

I am not particularly shy about my past or my transition. A lot of the old reference documents, application notes, papers, scanned articles, etc. that I have on the site have my old name and contact information. I am a bit too busy to go back and fix them all right now, and it's not worth the trouble. Hope you understand.

Do you wear dresses and/or make-up for work?

Since much of my out-of-the-office work remains somewhat physical and hands-on, I generally do not wear dresses or an inordinate amount of make-up when I am working out in the field. I still end up digging into electrical panels, on a ladder poking around in the ceiling, and hunting for ground rods and corroded connections, and I dress for that sort of work. For business settings (meetings, conferences, trade shows, etc) where a suit or skirt is appropriate, that is what I wear.

Has this impacted your performance or your work?

While this might have seemed like a sudden change to most of my clients, please know that I have been dealing with this in the background for most of my professional career. I have experienced no change in my energy level, availability, or work capacity since I have transitioned. In fact, since I have expended a good deal of energy hiding this and trying to balance two lives for the years preceding my transition, I seem to have more time and energy available for my clients these days!

How have your clients reacted?

In the first three months following my transition, my clients retained me to travel to North Carolina, Minnesota, San Diego, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Delaware, New York, and Georgia. I conducted a power quality traning class, gave a 2 hour presentation to a large corporate client, performed power quality audits in hospitals, industrial facilities, and retail shops. I have also worked with senior executive level people at several large corporations including Bic, Praxair, and JP Morgan Chase for meetings and presentations.

In short - my clients have been incredibly supportive and accepting. Thanks to you all!

Have you had problems presenting yourself as a woman?

That's always a concern, and it is a life long project to become fully comfortable living and working as a woman. However, I had been successfully presenting myself this way for many years prior to my actual transition in support groups, social situations, and professional groups. Just prior to my transition, it was more difficult for me to convincingly present myself as a male than it has been for me to pass as a female.

Why didn't you let me know sooner?

Although some of my clients and contacts may have some experience with a gender transition in their company or circle of peers, such a transition remains rare and is somewhat risky to one's professional career. As such, it needed to be methodical and managed carefully. Some clients or peers had guessed based on my appearance over the past few years. However, I chose not to bring this into the business world until I was prepared to actually transition to living and working as a woman full time.

Throughout 2003, peers, friends, and clients have stumbled across my new identity while looking for "that power engineer who helped us out back in 1998...." and I am sure I will continue to surprise people for the next few years. I tried to spread a wide net in announcing my transition, but I am sure I missed a lot of people, especially those who I have not been actively working with. Apologies for missing you. It's OK to call and chat about it if you want, even though its old news to me. It will be nice to catch up, and if you have some power problems or other work that I might be able to help you with - so much the better!

How can I help?

Please rest assured that I have a strong support network of professionals, friends, and family who support this. My clients and peers can best help by continuing to stay in contact socially and professionally. While I do not expect everyone to feel perfectly comfortable with this, I hope that none of the people reading this feels uncomfortable asking questions, calling to say hello, or simply continuing to rely on PowerLines for engineering consulting and production support.

Documents and Links

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