This past weekend I attended Reaching Out MBA, a national conference for LGBTQIAP+ MBA students, alumni, and professionals as well as allies to the community. At the conference were scores of companies that were publically acknowledging the importance of having LGBTQ representation in their organization. I heard from many people the importance of being out at work. The ways that their supervisors said it doesn't matter if you are LGBTQ or not because if you are then you are and if not then you are not. Hearing such people like the Governor of Illinois (regardless of your opinion of him), Laverne Cox, and Morgana Bailey speak really left me inspired. They all made this event enough of a priority to show up, be present, and invest in our future.
In honor of yesterday being National Coming Out Day, I want you all to know that I am a mixed race, Jewish, mostly gay, cisgender male who struggles with social anxiety, self-esteem, and my body image. It is important that you know me for who I am. Who I truly am. Even today, as I told my coming out story as a part of Pride Week at UMBC, there were details that I left out. There is still more to me that you should know, but you need to make the effort to get to know me to learn those things. While being visibly out about my sexuality is important, and I really believe it is, there is much more about me that is important as well. Never try to force yourself to let someone in. Let yourself do it in a time and manner that is meaningful for yourself. Make sure that when you do, you can feel safe, free, and happy.
To all that are still in the closet, and I know some of you still are wink emoticon. You are still a valued member in our community. When you are ready to come out I will be there, happy to welcome you with open arms. To those that are out, remember why you came out, how difficult it was to come out. Don't rush anyone else to do that. More so, if you are out now, remember that there are others in our community who may be out about one aspect of their identity but not another. You are still responsible for creating a space in the community that is safe enough for them to come out wholly. It is important for people to live as their authentic self, but more so it is important for us to celebrate someone's authentic self.
I leave you with a way of thinking from Governor Rauner, wisdom from Laverne Cox, and a video from Morgana Bailey. Governor Rauner said Friday morning that being focused is important to accomplish the things in life that you want, however to much focus and you will miss the world around you as it passes by. Laverne Cox quoted Marie Forleo saying, "Clarity come from engagement, not thought." In order to know someone, to learn something, you cannot simply just talk about it. You must engage in the material to truly comprehend it. Lastly in this video Morgana talks about the importance of coming out at work. The importance of why, although some disagree, you have to do whatever it is that you need to do.
