The Question
I once read somewhere that coming out is a process you will repeat over and over again in your life. Obviously, this is true as each new person you meet ideally will stumble across this component of your life. I was just faced with it today.
My company is being acquired - the deal closes in just a few days. As we prepare to be absorbed by the behemoth (and it is one of the biggest), the preliminary integration meetings are taking place. The CFO of the division that we will report into flew out today to meet with myself and our controller. I have met the guy before and he seems like a good guy. In fact, he sings the praises of the company he works for and has indicated the world is your oyster with this company if you are willing to work hard, be open-minded, and, most importantly, be mobile.
Anyway, he asked me if I would like to join him for a cup of coffee. It was actually a brief interview disguised as a coffee run. While walking to the coffee place, he asked for a brief overview of my background. When he heard that I had previously done an international rotation with a prior employer and had moved to Southern California for my current job, he seemed intrigued. He then asked the question - "what does your wife do?" Several answers flashed through my head before I blurted out "I am not married." He seemed even happier after that answer (i.e., I am more mobile than a married man).
Of course, after the answer I wanted to say that I had a long-term boyfriend in LA, who has his own medical practice, is not really mobile, and the only relocation I would really be interested in was LA. However, I said none of this and the conversation continued. Filling him in on my life story was too much too soon - I have learned a few things in my decade plus of the business world.
However, I had to wonder, if the boyfriend was a girlfriend would I have responded differently? Would I have said, "I am not married, but I have a girlfriend?"
My company is being acquired - the deal closes in just a few days. As we prepare to be absorbed by the behemoth (and it is one of the biggest), the preliminary integration meetings are taking place. The CFO of the division that we will report into flew out today to meet with myself and our controller. I have met the guy before and he seems like a good guy. In fact, he sings the praises of the company he works for and has indicated the world is your oyster with this company if you are willing to work hard, be open-minded, and, most importantly, be mobile.
Anyway, he asked me if I would like to join him for a cup of coffee. It was actually a brief interview disguised as a coffee run. While walking to the coffee place, he asked for a brief overview of my background. When he heard that I had previously done an international rotation with a prior employer and had moved to Southern California for my current job, he seemed intrigued. He then asked the question - "what does your wife do?" Several answers flashed through my head before I blurted out "I am not married." He seemed even happier after that answer (i.e., I am more mobile than a married man).
Of course, after the answer I wanted to say that I had a long-term boyfriend in LA, who has his own medical practice, is not really mobile, and the only relocation I would really be interested in was LA. However, I said none of this and the conversation continued. Filling him in on my life story was too much too soon - I have learned a few things in my decade plus of the business world.
However, I had to wonder, if the boyfriend was a girlfriend would I have responded differently? Would I have said, "I am not married, but I have a girlfriend?"
posted by The Random Gay Guy at 3:47 PM
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