To address some of these concerns, several AIHA members recently established the PR(IH)DE Special Interest Group. The mission of the PR(IH)DE SIG is “to support and promote the professional growth and development of those in the fields of [IH and OEHS] who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and all other sexual orientations and gender identities, as well as their allies/supporters, through networking, mentorship, and research.” Sharing the voices of those in our profession who have made the bold decision to come out in their respective workplaces is paramount to PR(IH)DE’s mission. We therefore recently conducted interviews of three out LGBTQ+ IH and OEHS professionals to gain an understanding of their work experiences and hear their views on how our profession can continue to improve. We spoke with:

JS: I first came out professionally in 2022. After years of sidestepping conversations and not being able to authentically connect with colleagues, I decided it was past time. This decision also came at a transition point in my life; I was finishing graduate school and preparing to enter the workforce. I had to decide whether I wanted to continue carrying that baggage into the next chapter of my life, and I decided it wasn’t worth it. ANON: I have a rule to never come out at work until after a year. I don’t keep it a secret; I just don’t talk about my personal life. This rule of mine was developed while I was still in the military. I served in the military under “don’t ask don’t tell,” so I’m always hesitant to come out at a job at first. Q: Were there policies, programs, practices, or educational training established at your workplace that made you feel comfortable coming out? If so, what were they? Were there any other additional policies, programs, practices, or educational training that could have been implemented at your workplace that would have encouraged you to come out sooner or better facilitated your coming out? KH: Since it was the 1990s when I was outed at work, there were not a lot of policies, programs, or training to help me feel comfortable. It wasn’t until 2015 that I felt comfortable in a new position, with my current employer, about being open about my partner and that part of my life. When I think about it at all these days, “coming out” feels outdated. Coming out always meant sharing my sexuality. How many heterosexual, cis-gendered people talk about their sexuality at work? Or even in their personal lives? Frankly speaking, it feels like this bizarre irony that we are asked to be sincere, to “bring our whole selves to work” these days, and at the same time claim our sexuality in a place where sexual harassment has been prevalent for a long time and where talking about this part of our selves is fraught with challenges. Now, however, with my current employer, a wonderful and growing team (our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team) has brought forth (with the support of our leadership) education and inclusive efforts such as transgender-affirming workplace training, LGBTQ+ pride events, shared employee/spouse benefits like health insurance, and ongoing support through continued learning and community engagement. I think early in my work life that Human Resources could have done much more to include the LGBTQ+ community in discussions and decisions around benefits. But mostly, just helping show support by talking about all of us as people, employees, with our own lives, and investing in learning about our communities, would have helped me feel safer right away. Benefits are based on employment law and then company policy. Once laws helped clarify the legality of rights, policies followed for most workplaces. Few workplaces put policies in place that were ahead of laws. Yet, many still don’t follow even basic discrimination policies. We still have a long way to go. I truly feel grateful for my work environment and the people I work with every day. JS: I first came out in my previous workplace (graduate school). Though the university had safe zone training and LGBTQ+ groups, I felt insecure about coming out until my dissertation work was complete. My advisor was amazing, but we never discussed his feelings about the queer community. With such an uneven power balance in the advisor/student relationship, I feared for my ability to complete my PhD if I came out. I ended up coming out professionally by thanking my partner for his support in the acknowledgements of my dissertation, though by that time, there was little my boss or committee could have done to hinder my completion. It ended up sparking a fantastic conversation with my boss, in which he confided to me that he had queer loved ones. In my situation, general DEI efforts were not enough. I needed to know directly from my superiors that they were allies in order to feel comfortable. ANON: For my current job, there are a bunch of policies in place that made me feel comfortable, but I still wanted to get a good feel for my coworkers before I made a decision like that. Before my current job, some jobs had policies in place and others didn’t. Q: What workplace conditions have you personally observed that may threaten the safety, health, and well-being of LGBTQ+ IH and OEHS professionals? KH: I have had friends lose their jobs as teachers in K-12 education due to their sexuality. I have had friends who have been verbally and emotionally abused by coworkers when it is learned that they are not straight. I have had friends hide their true selves, sitting at the conference table where others share their weekend, their family vacations, and personal information about their spouse—something they might be proud of, like an achievement, or even something difficult like an illness where they are caring for their partner or loved one. It has been excruciating to witness people go without the support of their workplaces, benefit policies, and coworkers in such times and even have to hide what is happening in their lives. It adds immense stress because we don’t want to lose our jobs, our livelihoods, especially during a time when our financial security means so much for our families. JS: Having just completed my degree, I have only limited experience in the workforce. That said, the major things I have noticed are the psychosocial stressors that weigh on an employee when they do not know they are safe to be themselves at work, particularly if they must endure microaggressions from colleagues. ANON: While at my first job, which was in consulting, I had to deal with a lot of different types of personalities, and a large percentage of those people were not fond of the LGBTQ+ community. I personally observed people say harsh things about the community, which in turn made me extremely selective regarding who I told about my sexual orientation.