Interview
My Coming Out Story 🏳️🌈 | Facebook CMO Alex Schultz
- Anticipates significant barriers for LGBTQ individuals, particularly the trans community, in maintaining open employment, predicting that leaving hostile environments is a necessary outcome for personal well-being.
- Identifies a persistent gap in representation at board levels, investor conferences, and among senior tech executives, projecting that the industry has a long way to go before fostering a universally welcoming atmosphere.
- Predicts that individuals will face an adjustment period and an initial "bump" as those around them process the change, requiring them to "mourn" a revised version of the future before potentially offering support.
- Plans to sponsor product changes specifically targeting inclusivity, such as adding functionality for same-sex relationships.
- Notes that progress for the trans community will be harder and less straightforward compared to other subgroups, such as white cis gay men.
- Reflects on past decisions to avoid being out at previous employers due to fears of discomfort in "bro-tastic" environments lacking open LGBTQ representation, while questioning the validity of that past advice.
- Recalls that the decision to leave stable employment at a large company for a startup was driven by an expectation of significant growth despite family concerns regarding stability.