Coming out of the closet can be a toughie. Especially so, if you have decided that your professional life should usher in the truth as well.
If you, too, are on the fence about coming out at work, here are 7 questions that can help you decide. Just remember no decision is right or wrong. Nor is it final.
Suggested read: Sexual orientations you MUST know about in today’s day and age
1. How positive are you about your sexuality and/or sexual orientation?
Image source: Google, copyright-free image under Creative Commons License
This is probably the most important question in the list. You cannot decide your sexuality or orientation on a whim or to just hop onto the bandwagon. For some people, it takes years to simply scratch the surface of it. Anything different from the conventional ‘heterosexuality’ requires time to surface. Contrary to popular belief, people don’t start behaving ‘weirdly’ or in a ‘feminine’ way if they are latent homosexuals. So, make sure it isn’t a rushed decision. Your identity is all you have.
2: Are you absolutely comfortable with your sexuality?
Image source: Google, copyright-free image under Creative Commons License
This is an extension of the first question. If you’ve made sure if you’re belonging to a particular sexuality or orientation, are you absolutely comfortable with the kind of person you are? If you can’t learn to accept yourself, then you can’t expect others to follow suit. Usually, the course of action in this case is to talk to someone very dear to you, and make sure that they listen to you and don’t hold any homophobic ideologies in high regard. Talking to people always helps, and the emotional support you get might help you accept the reality easier.
3. How receptive are the guys at work of your sexuality/sexual orientation?
Work-place harassment can be a real pain, and after a point quitting will seem like a viable choice. To avoid such a situation, think long and hard before inadvertently ruining things by letting your personal life affect your work. Everyone’s mindsets aren’t fine-tuned with yours, and neither is everyone liberal enough to be accepting of things ‘alien’ to them. But, we have to get by either way. All of us try to adjust in the best possible way, and putting your job on the line for your identity can be a gamble. You need to decide for yourself if coming out of the closet is worth it.
4. Are a majority of them homophobic?
People tend to be…extremely bigoted. While many prefer to mind their own business because we all have our own lives to tend to, a certain section of the population love to go out of their way to make people miserable. A pinch of homophobia in the equation makes things much worse, and thick skin becomes a necessary adaptation. Unfortunately, at some point the workplace harassment will get to you and you’ll end up doing something drastic out of pent-up emotions. Think about your work-place, and how well you can adapt if push comes to shove.
5. Can you swallow homophobic slurs, in the worst case scenario?
Expanding on something I mentioned in the last question, do you have thick skin? How often do you have a tendency to fight back? Fighting back in this situation will only aggravate matters, even though it might seem like the right thing to do and it’s easy for anyone of us to lose our cool. This is another perspective to consider if you’re planning on coming out of the closet.
6. Are you really ready to parade your identity in all its glory?
If you’re not proud of your sexuality, you can’t expect others to be acceptable of it. Once you make this decision, there’s no going back. This isn’t for the faint of heart, and definitely not for people who doubt themselves.
Suggested read: 12 things NOT to blurt when your girlfriend comes out of the closet
7. Do you have people to support you, and a backup, if things go wrong?
Image source: Google, copyright-free image under Creative Commons License
Do you have the support of your closest colleagues? More importantly, are they aware of your disposition? If not, it could be a problem. Coming out is difficult, but some mental support can really see you through the struggle.
Society is cruel, and even with hundreds of banners celebrating ‘freedom’, minorities everywhere feel oppressed. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t be happy about coming out of the closet. We know it is a brave move. You’ll probably have friends who’ll support you with everything they’ve got, so don’t sell them short. People can prove more reliable than how they appear. It takes time and a lot of effort to change social norms, but they change all the same. Couple of years down the line and you’ll see homophobia being diluted to the point of you not noticing it anymore. People change, and so do entire cultures. Keep at it.
Featured image source: Google, copyright-free image under Creative Commons License
Facebook
Disqus
Google + 
