{"id":4074,"date":"2019-10-11T09:48:48","date_gmt":"2019-10-11T09:48:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/?p=4074"},"modified":"2019-10-11T09:48:48","modified_gmt":"2019-10-11T09:48:48","slug":"national-coming-out-day-friday-11th-october-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/2019\/10\/11\/national-coming-out-day-friday-11th-october-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"National Coming Out Day \u2013 Friday 11th October 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/2019\/10\/11\/national-coming-out-day-friday-11th-october-2019\/ncod-designs\/#main\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-4075\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"4075\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/2019\/10\/11\/national-coming-out-day-friday-11th-october-2019\/ncod-designs\/#main\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2019\/10\/NCOD-Designs.png?fit=584%2C280&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"584,280\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"NCOD Designs\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2019\/10\/NCOD-Designs.png?fit=584%2C280&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-4075 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2019\/10\/NCOD-Designs.png?resize=584%2C280&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"584\" height=\"280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2019\/10\/NCOD-Designs.png?w=584&amp;ssl=1 584w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2019\/10\/NCOD-Designs.png?resize=300%2C144&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Today is <strong>National Coming Out Day<\/strong> and to mark the occasion the Hallam LGBT+ staff network has been asking colleagues to share thoughts and stories about coming out. Keep an eye on the plasma screens across the University for these and read more about them on the <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/lgbtstaff\/national-coming-out-day\/?doing_wp_cron=1570786452.7506918907165527343750\">LGBT+ blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s one such story . . .<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBe yourself; everyone else is already taken.\u201d \u2014 Oscar Wilde<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I wish I had read this as a young woman, because I spent WAY too much time trying to live up to other people\u2019s expectations, trying to fit in, and ultimately, trying to be someone I wasn\u2019t.\u00a0 But even though I would do things differently now, I consider myself fortunate to have ended up how I did, with support and love and a minimum of kickback when I finally did come out.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The first person I had to come out to was me.\u00a0 In some ways that was the hardest, as I desperately didn\u2019t want to be \u2018different\u2019, I wanted to be just like everyone else in my family, like my friends, like my schoolmates and later, colleagues in work.\u00a0 I had just turned 21 (late bloomer!) when I knew that I couldn\u2019t go on, I couldn\u2019t pretend to like that boyfriend the way he liked me, I couldn\u2019t keep hidden this huge part of me that kept screaming \u201cI love women!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;So I summoned up all my courage and one evening, dialled the number to Dublin\u2019s gay helpline.\u00a0 I can\u2019t remember the conversation, just the sense of relief and a feeling that I was heard and understood and not judged.\u00a0 About a week later, wearing a new shirt, a nervous smile and with a fluttering heart, I walked into a group for women who were \u2018exploring their sexuality\u2019.\u00a0 Terrifying. I mean, they were all lovely, but I couldn\u2019t have been more nervous. Fast forward 4 weeks and I had my first girlfriend, yep, it worked out okay in the end!<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I gradually told friends, then certain members of my family, and finally, one Sunday morning, I told my mum.\u00a0 I was scared of her reaction, scared of rejection, scared that she would want nothing to do with me. So you can imagine my surprise and relief when she said \u201cWe knew!\u00a0 We were waiting for you to say something!\u201d And she reassured me that nothing changed, I was still loved and cherished. Over the years, my parents welcomed my partners and basically treated us the same as my siblings and their partners and spouses, a \u2018normality\u2019 that I know not everyone is lucky to experience.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Someone once said that you don\u2019t come out once, it is a process of continual coming out to people in your personal, work and social life, because as you meet new people, the process begins again.\u00a0 I\u2019ve come out to extended family, to new friends, to colleagues in lots of different jobs, to doctors, neighbours, hotel receptionists, government agencies, vets\u2026the list goes on and on. Sometimes it\u2019s a conversation, sometimes just matter of fact, sometimes it\u2019s making it clear that yes, you did mean to book that double room.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;So I\u2019ve been coming out for years and am fortunate to be in a place where I am totally comfortable with doing so, because I am totally comfortable with who I am.\u00a0 It\u2019s taken a while and some angsty moments, but finally I am fully myself, wherever I am, whoever I\u2019m with. Thanks Oscar.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>You can read more stories\u00a0by\u00a0visiting the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/lgbtstaff\/national-coming-out-day\/?doing_wp_cron=1570786452.7506918907165527343750\">LGBT+ blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today is National Coming Out Day and to mark the occasion the Hallam LGBT+ staff network has been asking colleagues to share thoughts and stories about coming out. Keep an&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3083,"featured_media":4076,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,367],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-staffnews","category-wellbeing"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2019\/10\/National-Coming-Out-Day.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8KEAX-13I","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":555,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/2017\/07\/28\/lgbt_survey\/","url_meta":{"origin":4074,"position":0},"title":"The National LGBT Survey","author":"Jane Gardner-Florence","date":"July 28, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"LGBT Survey The government has launched a survey to understand the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) people living in the UK. Both SIGNAL, our LGBT staff network\u200b, and our Equality & Diversity team fully endorse this and encourage as many LGBT colleagues to complete the survey as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2017\/07\/lgbt2.jpg?fit=1028%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2017\/07\/lgbt2.jpg?fit=1028%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2017\/07\/lgbt2.jpg?fit=1028%2C768&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2017\/07\/lgbt2.jpg?fit=1028%2C768&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3862,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/2019\/09\/16\/random-coffee-and-lgbtea\/","url_meta":{"origin":4074,"position":1},"title":"Random Coffee and LGBTea+","author":"Mark Greene","date":"September 16, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Random Coffee pairs up colleagues from across the University randomly every six weeks to meet for a coffee (or any other drink!) and a chat. Since the scheme started last September,\u00a0over 500 members of staff have taken part with many saying its helped them to understand more about our colleagues\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Staff News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Staff News","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/category\/news\/staffnews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2019\/09\/LGBT-Coffee-1.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2019\/09\/LGBT-Coffee-1.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2019\/09\/LGBT-Coffee-1.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2019\/09\/LGBT-Coffee-1.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1226,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/2018\/01\/22\/lgbt-history-month\/","url_meta":{"origin":4074,"position":2},"title":"LGBT History Month","author":"Michael Cambell","date":"January 22, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 LGBT History Month Quiz \u2013 http:\/\/bit.do\/LGBTHMQuiz A Part of Sheffield History: Friends of Edward Carpenter \u2013 http:\/\/bit.do\/FoEC Exploring LGBT spaces & communities \u2013 http:\/\/bit.do\/LGBTspaces Fear, Outrage, Love & Hope: Protecting LGBT+ rights in Africa and the Middle East \u2013 http:\/\/bit.do\/LGBTrights \u00a0 Follow @SHU_HWB","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Events&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Events","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/category\/events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2018\/01\/LGBT-gallery.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2018\/01\/LGBT-gallery.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2018\/01\/LGBT-gallery.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2018\/01\/LGBT-gallery.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3023,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/2019\/02\/04\/february-is-lgbt-history-month\/","url_meta":{"origin":4074,"position":3},"title":"February is LGBT History Month","author":"Mark Greene","date":"February 4, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"February is LGBT History Month, an opportunity to reflect on LGBT history and champion diversity. Sheffield Hallam Students' Union have organised events across the month to celebrate. You can find out more here. You can also follow\u00a0Sheffield Hallam\u00a0Students' Union on Twitter at @hallamunion \u00a0","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Events&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Events","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/category\/events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2019\/02\/LGBT-History-Month.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2019\/02\/LGBT-History-Month.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2019\/02\/LGBT-History-Month.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2019\/02\/LGBT-History-Month.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1546,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/2018\/03\/07\/promoting-equality-diversity-and-inclusion\/","url_meta":{"origin":4074,"position":4},"title":"Faculty Leadership Team Update &#8211; Making a difference: Promoting equality, diversity and inclusion","author":"Sarah Briscoe","date":"March 7, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Chandi Patel, Head of the Department\u00a0of Social Work, Social Care and Community Studies\u00a0and faculty representative on the University Equality and Diversity Committee. 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