A Pain And A Blessing: She Lost Her Job, But She’s Spending More Time With Her Girls

The world got a lot more complicated for B’Elana Dow in mid-March. Like millions of others, the Arlington, Texas resident was laid off from her job because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dow, who is transgender, set about filing for unemployment. But she worried that her recent name change could complicate things. She was able to receive benefits, and she’s been spending time with her two daughters while she waits to be called back to work.

“When the unemployment office checked my Social, it did appear as the name that I gave them. So thankfully, the age of electronics has been very beneficial.”

“As much of a pain as the COVID-19 crisis has been, it’s actually kind of been a blessing, too. I’ve been able to get out and see more of the nature trails that are around me.”

“One of the issues I have heard about is that a lot of the clinics that the trans community goes to… were closed… You never really realize how much of your life this puts on hold.”

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