For many gay people, work can also be referred to as "the Closet." You would probably be surprised if I told you how many guys I know in New York who are well known in the gay community, but are not out at work. Some say its hard, others say its nothing.

I'm not one who can keep secrets. It's obvious. I'm a gossip reporter. That's what I do. I gossip. As a result, I can't keep my own secrets very well either. Therefore, for the most of my time on this side of the closet door, I've been out at work.

Being out at work can be a struggle.

Some might call me a late bloomer when it comes to being gay. I didn't come out until after college. That means I've only been out for less than 6 years. Being raised in the south, and attending a somewhat conservative university in the midst of the Bible belt; gay is rarely even discussed much less presented as an option. My plan leaving college was to have a long career in television news reporting, and at that time being an openly gay reporter didn't seen like a possiblity at all.

I must admit that I wasn't even sure I was gay until half-way through college, but that's a different story for a different time.

Less than six months after telling my family and friends what they had probably always suspected, I came out of the closet at work. My fag hag worked there too, and my boss was a southern version of Karen Walker.. so the environment seemed too perfect. It was a good move, and the timing was definitely right!

Being out at work can be a struggle. I've only had one employer who "frowned upon it," and she didn't even do it publicly. Once discovering my homosexuality, the job that I had done so well for the past year suddenly seemed to become and endless struggle. I was a young department head looking at the possiblity of making Vice President when everything started to change. My reports weren't "awesome" anymore, and my work load kept getting larger and larger. Finally, the president of the company slipped and told one of my co-workers that she "frowned upon" my public position in the LGBT community and felt that it might come back to hurt the company. When I got wind of that, I called up her competition and accepted a much better position working with him and taking all of my contacts with me.

While I don't encourage anyone who can't come out at work to quit their job, I feel like it is important for me to work in an environment in which I can feel comfortable. I have been very upfront about my homosexuality in the workplace since that point. As such, I have been able to recongize opportunities better without having to continuously live and learn.

Now, obviously I work for GenerationQ which is a gay owned and operated media outlet. If I wouldn't have come out when I did and stood my ground when needed, then I definitely would not be where I am today.

Being out in the workplace can be really cool, but make sure you play your card right! Don't put yourself in an unsafe situation, but don't ever be ashamed of who you are!

Tags: coming out, gay