Coming out at work: it may not be easy but it’s totally worth it
It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but, even in 2016, being gay or bi can affect your working life. You may be absolutely secure in your sexuality but often it’s the reactions of others that can cause problems, or at least the fear of those reactions. There can be short-term considerations – “Will it be a problem for anyone in the office?”, “What if they treat me differently?” – as well as longer-term concerns about homophobic attitudes having a negative impact on your career: a “gay glass ceiling” as some refer to it. As a Relate counsellor and a gay woman, I hear many stories of work and personal relationships being affected by these issues.
A big part of the problem is the “it’s all ok now” perception, where it’s assumed that sexuality is no longer an issue. But the reality I see in the counselling room is much more complex: every profession is different, every area of the country is different and, crucially, every person is different. I’ve seen particular issues in sport and teaching, for example, where it’s traditionally been harder for people to be out and proud. Even when someone is entirely comfortable with being gay themselves, it doesn’t always mean that being out at work will be easy. When it comes to relationships at home, problems can arise when individuals are on different pages with their sexuality: when one partner is happy to be open to the world about being gay and the other person is not.
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December 2016
 
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