My journey to being out at work has taken in several different firms and spanned literally thousands of miles but has underlined, at least for me, that institutional support is key for LGBTQ+ people to be openly out and to thrive in the workplace.
I started my career in Perth, Australia fresh out of university at one of Australia’s leading firms.
I had been out at university, and everyone close to me knew I was gay but then I was faced with the prospect of starting at a new workplace and I wasn’t sure how I wanted to present myself. It was easy to be open with some of the other lawyers in my year group with whom I was particularly close, but I viewed them as friends rather than as colleagues. In relation to the rest of the firm, I defaulted to a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. I didn’t make up stories about fake girlfriends or go out of my way to act in a different way, but I was definitely not out and proud. I distinctly remember being part of many discussions about colleagues’ personal lives and feeling slightly anxious at the prospect of one of them asking me about my own personal life. It’s interesting to reflect on this, because I don’t think I felt like anyone would have reacted badly or discriminated against me. But once I had set myself down the path of not opening up, I felt boxed into my position.
So even as I ended up with very close working relationships at the firm, it became increasingly more difficult to imagine “coming out” officially. I had created a secret that everyone around me had agreed to participate in.
Anyone who knows me knows that I try to avoid awkward conversations, and this was an awkward conversation that I was not willing to have. Ultimately, even though I created this situation for myself, I can see why it happened. I worked for one of the largest firms in Australia, in an office with around 100 people just in Perth, and there was no visible LGBTQ+ network or LGBTQ+ role models at the firm. Not only that, as far as I was aware, there wasn’t even an external legal industry network for LGBTQ+ people in Perth.
After 10 years at the same firm in Perth (and without previously having any plans to leave), I made the decision to take up a secondment opportunity for a one-year secondment in the firm’s London office (as a side note, that one year in London is now eight years and counting!).With the opportunity to start somewhere new, this time I made a conscious choice to ensure that I didn’t end up in the same situation. Thankfully, the London office was in the process of launching its LGBTQ+ network at around the time I started, so from day one, I felt the comfort of knowing that I was part of a group of out lawyers and staff. The firm’s institutional support for diversity and inclusion initiatives, including the LGBTQ+ network, was also an important differentiating factor from my experience as a new lawyer.
Since then, I’ve worked at two other firms (including Proskauer), and each has had both an LGBTQ+ network and senior LGBTQ+ team members. That’s not to say that it’s always easy for everyone to be open at work. However, I think that visibility and institutional support truly do have a big impact, particularly for new joiners, and I hope that as an out partner, I can play a role in breaking down any remaining barriers.
Cameron Roper is a partner at Proskauer Rose
