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<\/a><\/p>\nIt wasn\u2019t until I went to university that I discovered my true self. Throughout my childhood, I never questioned my sexuality. Growing up in the 1960\u2019s and 70\u2019s, in a northern, working class environment, notions of difference simply weren\u2019t considered. At the age of 20, a chance encounter made the whole world suddenly make sense.<\/p>\n
My parents had completely opposite reactions when I came out. My mother didn\u2019t respond well at all and we barely spoke for the next two years. My father told me she\u2019d come around eventually and that what was most important was that I was happy. Some of my friends didn\u2019t react very well either. I completely transformed my appearance to conform to the dominant gay look (remember this was the 1980\u2019s). At the time, it was important for the LGBT+ community to make itself known so that we could see \u2018people who looked like us\u2019. Some people found it hard to accept my need to change.<\/p>\n
I think it\u2019s important to recognise that coming out is not a one-time event. We\u2019re coming out repeatedly: new job, new social group, buying a house, opening bank accounts, etc. etc. And judging the \u2018right\u2019 time to tell colleagues, friends, neighbours can be a constant negotiation. Then there\u2019s what I call the Star Trek effect: you make your announcement, person looks at you for a moment (in that moment you are beamed up and beamed back \u2013 you look exactly the same but everything has changed). Happens all the time!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
As an older gay woman (see, we still find it hard to say \u2018the L word\u2019!) there have been plenty of times when I have felt threatened out in public over the years. It\u2019s still rare to see older lesbians holding hands in the street and my partner and I are no different to that. So I don\u2019t know how people would react these days, but I do know that the prejudice is still there.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been fortunate to work in environments where equality and diversity have been central to employee relations: the arts, voluntary sector, public sector and education. We can have a certain level of expectation about workplace conduct these days. That doesn\u2019t mean that discrimination doesn\u2019t happen and, when it does, we need robust procedures to deal with it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Student Success (EDI) Project Manager Partnership Development Office Your coming out story… It wasn\u2019t until I went to university that I discovered my true self. Throughout my childhood, I never questioned my sexuality. Growing up in the 1960\u2019s and 70\u2019s, … Continue reading