Coming Out At Work

Although some progress has been made in the acceptance of queerness in society, coming out at work is still fraught with challenges

- Ravi Raj

When the COVID-19 pandemic brought life to a standstill, Akash Sinha, a 28-year-old software engineer, was mustering the courage to come out of the closet at his workplace. Having grappled with their sexual identity for years, Akash realised that they wouldn't get a better time to come out. "Since the work was remote, the thought of not facing my colleagues in real life gave me the courage to reveal my true identity," he says. Their colleagues were "warm and accepting", but they are not sure if this would be received just as well in their future workplaces.

Although massive progress has been made in the last decade or so when it comes to queer acceptance, coming out at work still seems to be a daunting prospect. There's always a worry about what they might lose in their career by revealing their sexual identity. A study from Stonewall found that more than 35 per cent of LGBT+ people choose to keep their identity hidden at work, due to the fear of hostility and discrimination. The lack of robust workplace policies to protect the sexual minority is a big obstacle, forcing many to stay closeted.