A teen lesbian writes to the forum with a few questions. A big one is whether she should come out at her new job...
"So I am an 18 year old lesbian...I've just started a new job and it's not obvious I'm gay, so I'm not just going to say I'm gay coz straight people don't have to, but if they ask should I tell them? Because it is a VERY big company and there are bound to be homophobes there, should I just risk it? Or stay in the closet? I'm out to all my friends and my family knows I've had a girlfriend in the past but just assume I'm bi (although I'm almost certain my mum knows I'm gay and is just letting me figure it out for myself)."
Generally, the same rules apply to coming out at work as they do to coming out anywhere. Don't come out if you think doing so would be unsafe.
Also, as horrible as this is, depending on where you live it might actually not be against the law to fire you for being gay, so that is a serious consideration and something you might want to look into before you come out. However, in plenty of places it is totally illegal to fire someone for their sexual orientation, which would give you protection in that area.
Here are some questions that might help you figure out what to do:
- What are the laws where you live?
- Does your employer have and anti-discrimination policy that includes GLBT individuals? Is there someone you can ask about that, like your boss or an HR department?
- Who would you want to tell? A co-worker, boss, someone in HR?
- Do you have support and is there one person who you are confident will react positively at work if you come out?
- Are you prepared to deal with a possible negative reaction? Do you know who to turn to if this happens?
- Do you want to come out when there is a specific reason, like you are dating someone and want to bring her to a company event?
- Do you want to come out before you have a specific reason, so that no one will be surprised that you want to bring a girlfriend to a work event?
Asking yourself these questions can be a good way to help you decide if coming out at work is a good idea!
