Are you OUT at work?

[Chancie]

Originally Posted by lipstixgal

Oh G-d no I wasn't out at school either only in the gay and lesbian group did I come out. It was very homophobic and since I live very close to NYC you would think otherwise but I think that the population that was there(mostly hispanic and black) it was a cultural thing, everyone was either with a boyfriend or pregnant!! As for teh internship I don't think so I would like to be though but I don't think so..

I want to make sure I understand what you are saying.

Did you mean that because your classmates are hispanic and black, everyone had a boyfriend or was pregnant?

[bright_arrow]

Originally Posted by Chancie

I want to make sure I understand what you are saying.

Did you mean that because your classmates are hispanic and black, everyone had a boyfriend or was pregnant?

I read it as the people she was around were homophobic because they were other cultures and therefore different cultures from her? I took the next part of the sentence as an observation - the other females either had a boyfriend, or were pregnant - therefore not a lesbian.

[Cowboi]

I am out at work. For the most part I don't have any trouble. My OR Manager doesn't care for me. I have never had any problems till I started to work at the hospital I am at now.

I just do my job, don't talk about my private life. I do have some good friends there.

[dark_crystal]

out at work since day one! Two hours into my first day the other librarians took me to lunch- the very second our waiter left with our drink orders, out came THE QUESTION:

"so, are you married?"

DOH! Do i lie and say yes, or lie and say no? i decided to say "i am engaged but i can't get married because it's illegal here"

[Greyson]

Yes, I am out at work and everywhere. I just got back home from the BV conference in West Hollywood this past weekend. The topic of "visibility" came up during the "Many Faces of Butch" panel presentation.

It occurred to me that many of us limit visibility to outward appearance. Are you passing or not passing? I think visibility goes to who we see ourselves to be, how do we give that self identity expression and do we invite or participate in educating others? One can be "out" without looking like a stereotype of what it means to be Queer.

Another thing that came to my attention is how important it can be to some of our elders, the ones that came before us and took risks busting down the doors. They see much of this "moving forward" in our community as an attempt to blend in and lose our history, herstory, power. This gives me something to think about. I will not forget. Without the first and second wave of Feminism I do not believe my world as a Transmasculine Butch/Transman would be possible.

[Lynn]

My co-workers who have taken the time to know me at all, also know about my partner and our life together. I refuse to speak in generalizations or change the gender when I'm talking about what's going on. I do not discuss my life with my clients, though, and some of the nosier ones are under the assumption that I'm engaged to a man. These are senior citizen counseling clients, and there is no good reason to get that personal with them.

While I am out and open, I do feel that my life is personal. Not everyone cares about me or supports me, so I do try to be aware of who I let in. If you know me on Facebook, though, you had better be prepared for some educating.

[Sparkle]

Yes. I've been out in every job I've held (bar one) since I was 19.
It was unsafe for me to be out at that one particular job; but I felt incredibly disingenuous none the less.

I feel strongly that I do not wish to work for anyone who is homophobic.
I get the outting out-of-the-way early by citing the work I did with Stonewall Lobby Group and other local queer non-profits on my curriculum vitae.

But I rarely out myself to my "clients"; if I am talking (with them) about myself/my personal life I am not doing my job well.

[Rockinonahigh]

Well beign as I started a new job a couple of weeks ago...so far nothing has been said about my queerness.Really they cant miss it,big pride ring on,wear mens clothes,deep voice ect.I work in a religious hospital so im waiting for it to come up but its not anyones buisness about my sexuality.U cn bet I wont deny it if it dose.

[Julie]

I am out at work
I am out at home
I am out at my children's school (from nursery to college)

The only time I have been told I could not be out with work - was when I was invited to Afghanistan. I can handle that. There are other countries in which I will travel to (third world) that I will not be out. I would face imprisonment or death.