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I am a femme lez so I enjoy the confusion when I talk about my gf... I can see the wheels spinning “did she mean girlfriend or GIRLFRIEND?”. I was also similarly confused when I started in advertising when I heard people reference their “partner” 🤣
I present on the more masculine side so I think most people assume when they meet me that I’m gay, but I’m also very open about it with my coworkers. I don’t go out of my way to be like HEY GUYS IM GAY everyday, but I will casually say “I’m going to meet my friends at a lesbian bar” or “my ex girlfriend” in conversations that come up - usually at a bar - and not think twice about it. In the environments I’ve worked in in advertising, I’ve never had to think twice about being myself at work. The only “reaction” I’ve gotten from letting people know I’m gay is the occasional “ooo I wanna go to a gay bar, will you take me!?” In which case I ask if they’re queer, they tell me no, and I say - “not for you, pikachu.”
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I call that ask gay tourism 😂
For most of my career, I was sort of closeted at work (despite being very out in real life). I always feared it would hinder my work. That it would make me easy to pass over for promotions and opportunities. I’m a femme lesbian so it’s easier to present as straight.
Three years ago, my creative partner (also a femme lesbian) outed us on our first day at a new agency. It has been SO INCREDIBLE to be able to be myself authentically all of the time. Moreover, I’m able to be a voice for our community in the work. And because of that we have casted queer and gender non-conforming people in our campaigns.
It’s small, but it feels huge to me.
^retweet lmao
I just talk about Britney a lot and use the word “Iconic” and people eventually get the picture.
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#FreeBritney
My LinkedIn has my old name, which outs me; I haven't decided whether I'll remove it or not, but as time goes on and my work history is more with my real name, I might eventually remove it then.
I’ve done pro bono work for some orgs and list on my resume
I don't explicitly mention that I'm gay on my portfolio or resume, but I do have a couple of pop culture references in my bio/LinkedIn that a straight dude probably wouldn't make. :) I also have an LGBT-related piece in my book, which doesn't necessarily prove anything, but when you add it all up the clues are there.
I think when people meet me they don't immediately peg me as a homo, but I'm also not a super masculine guy, so I feel like people are just like "is he...?" until I give them confirmation, usually by dropping a reference to my boyfriend.
Same thing as a lot of the other comments, I don't go out of my way to announce HEY I'M A GAY GUY but I don't think twice about being open about it either.
My rule of thumb is, would it be OK for a straight person to talk about their orientation (because they do ALL THE TIME)?
I'm not going to discuss details about my sex life at work, but if Karen from finance can talk about what her and her husband are doing this weekend — I don't see why I can't talk about where me and my boyfriend are going on vacation this year.
I keep my private life private, but when people start discussing their celebrity crushes by the coffee machine, I don’t shy away from saying I’d let both Adam Driver and Clea DuVall violate me in unspeakable ways. Usually takes out the guess work.
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I allude to it through work with my company’s ERG and through thought leadership on the subject.
I don’t go out of my way to declare it to folks, simply live authentically and openly.
It's not something I would hide, but not something worth advertising
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Pun intended?