“Can I bring up a personal topic to share?” Pretty lame.
“Does anyone know what day/week this week is?” I can’t believe I even typed that one.
“I have an item I wanted to bring up this week,” Hmm, that’s not too bad.
I know it doesn’t really matter what I say to open up the topic to my coworkers.
I know it really doesn’t matter how I bring it, up, I just have this persistent feeling that I should celebrate National Coming Out Day this year. Why, my dear readers ask? Why now?
I need to do this for a variety of reasons—some personal, some political, but mostly because I feel at this point it’s the right thing to do.
I imagine we’ll be chatting together, just the five of us. It will be at one of the local restaurants--our regular Friday department lunch. The group includes my Boss M, a young married guy, and coworkers A & K & C, who are women—one in her 40s, two in their 20s.
Ok, that’s the scene.
But why bother telling them? As one friend said, “They probably figured it out by now.” In the six months since I’ve been there, I’ve talked about many things, but never much about my social life or the reasons for my divorce.
Here’s the personal reasons:
I want to be able to use the correct pronouns when and if I discuss past, present or future social encounters. Instead of saying I went out with a friend. I want to say, my buddy Frank and I.
I want to be able to ward off potential “matchmakers” who may think I’m just the catch for their lonely sister/aunt/neighbor. You know, the one with the great personality.
I want to be able to at some point, introduce a partner or date to these people, without springing it upon them by saying, “Oh, by the way, my date is Jeff”
Here’s the political reasons:
I want to be a voice for issues that are important to me.
I want to be a silent citizen, too, to show how “normal” I am; how normal “we” are.
I want to be able to live in a society that values diversity. To do that, I have to be who I am.
Next Friday, here goes…
Typing that sentence made me smile. I think I’m really ready.
“Does anyone know what day/week this week is?” I can’t believe I even typed that one.
“I have an item I wanted to bring up this week,” Hmm, that’s not too bad.
I know it doesn’t really matter what I say to open up the topic to my coworkers.
I know it really doesn’t matter how I bring it, up, I just have this persistent feeling that I should celebrate National Coming Out Day this year. Why, my dear readers ask? Why now?
I need to do this for a variety of reasons—some personal, some political, but mostly because I feel at this point it’s the right thing to do.
I imagine we’ll be chatting together, just the five of us. It will be at one of the local restaurants--our regular Friday department lunch. The group includes my Boss M, a young married guy, and coworkers A & K & C, who are women—one in her 40s, two in their 20s.
Ok, that’s the scene.
But why bother telling them? As one friend said, “They probably figured it out by now.” In the six months since I’ve been there, I’ve talked about many things, but never much about my social life or the reasons for my divorce.
Here’s the personal reasons:
I want to be able to use the correct pronouns when and if I discuss past, present or future social encounters. Instead of saying I went out with a friend. I want to say, my buddy Frank and I.
I want to be able to ward off potential “matchmakers” who may think I’m just the catch for their lonely sister/aunt/neighbor. You know, the one with the great personality.
I want to be able to at some point, introduce a partner or date to these people, without springing it upon them by saying, “Oh, by the way, my date is Jeff”
Here’s the political reasons:
I want to be a voice for issues that are important to me.
I want to be a silent citizen, too, to show how “normal” I am; how normal “we” are.
I want to be able to live in a society that values diversity. To do that, I have to be who I am.
Next Friday, here goes…
Typing that sentence made me smile. I think I’m really ready.
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