I really hope that being out and visible will encourage others to bring their authentic selves to work and be comfortable at the water cooler weekend debrief. It felt like a profound and emotional milestone. My family and I walked in the London Pride parade with clients a few years ago. I’m also heavily involved in D&I as a member of the CITMA council and I appear to be the ‘go to gay’ regarding females, in our profession! I’ve spoken at events about being gay, being a gay mum, co-parenting and intersectionality. These events, open to all, are a mixture of talks, panel discussions and more informal social events. We provide support and networking opportunities, running around four events annually. I’m on the IP OUT Committee an LGBT+ network which is part of IP INCLUSIVE. Where previously I’d had concerns that being gay would affect my career, nowadays the trade mark field is much more diverse and inclusive. I want to encourage and support those out there with reservations. While there are a number of out gay male trade mark professionals, I’m only aware of three other gay women. I had waited for other lesbian trade mark attorneys to come out and lead the way but I realised that I had to take the first step. I went on to get involved in the LGBT+ network at the firm, contributing to panel discussions, speaking at conferences and webinars.
I talked openly about what I’d done at the weekend or about how my son takes full advantage of having two mums and two dads. It was the best decision I’ve made because once that plaster was off, I became a new person professionally. If anyone asked who they were the Asian lady or the little boy, I would tell them that they were my wife and son. So, when I joined Pinsent Masons I took Jackie’s advice and a deep breath and then put a photo of my family on my desk. The problem with coming out in a place you have worked for years is that it never feels like the right time and it’s exhausting coming out again and again. I had a child who I would encourage to be proud of his background, not ashamed, yet here I was, still lying by omission about my true self. I had held back about my relationship, the wedding excitement, and big chunks of my life. Having worked together for many years she had seen the effect on my mental health of not bringing my true self to work. We had read about the LGBT+ network there and she said that it was now or never.
When our son Finn was born, few knew that ours was a rainbow family, co-parenting in a thoroughly modern set up.īefore I joined Pinsent Masons my colleague and ‘work wife’ Jackie Conway strongly encouraged me to start at the firm out as a gay woman. In fact, we believe that 4 inch inseam shorts, 5 inch inseam shorts, and 7 inch inseam shorts are just about all you need. We believe that short shorts is a redundancy. By the time we got married only a handful of my colleagues knew that there were two brides. The Whale Sharks 5.5' (Lined Classic Swim Trunk) 79.50. We had greetings cards addressed to Triona and Sam in our new home. At one firm, I ended up desperately trying to hide my identity by referring to my now wife Sonia as a man ‘Sam’.