Aug 13 2008
Coming Out At Work
Today, many people have decided to come out at work. Why, you might wonder would someone want to tell people they work with that they are gay. It is as simple as a woman wanting to tell people she is pregnant or she had horrible cramps this month when her period came. It is something that is a part of who they are and people should know who they are. There is nothing wrong with letting people know you are gay. Just like there is nothing wrong with telling people that the job you are doing sucks. Everyone wants to express him or herself.
There are however some pros and cons about coming out at work. This all depends on the company you work for and how the business is conducted. Today, the majority of businesses do not care what you sexual orientation is or is not. Most companies hire you to do a job and as long as you do that job and do it well, nothing more matters. Nevertheless, some companies are still working in the old days. They have homophobic tendencies. It is possible to be fired for being a bad employee if you are gay. The company will not fire you for being gay, but they may find something wrong with you job performance.
I think that most companies are accepting of employee even if they are gay. Sex and the workplace is not supposed to be an issue anyway. Most companies have guidelines in place that tries to prevent workplace affairs. Being gay does not matter to these companies. There may be a few, but I think that most companies have come around to the way of thinking that, just because a person is gay does not mean they are not a good worker or fit for their company.
The workplace the gays are just like the workplace and straights. There is no difference in how they do their jobs. Companies need employees and sexual orientation discrimination might cause them to lose a good employee. Other employees may have problems working with a gay person, but the companies that have no tolerance for discrimination nips that scenario before it can start.
Tomorrow, look for my opinion on the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” scenario. You might be surprised to learn what I feel about that.
