Meet an LGBTQ+ Accountant
We’re kicking off our series of interviews and introductions by meeting a good friend of mine who is an accountant and part of the LGBTQ+ community. Everyone being interviewed will be posted anonymously, unless they specifically request to be identified. Unfortunately, we still live in a society where it’s not safe for all members of the LGBTQ+ community to be out and open in both their social and professional lives.
To make it easier to conduct these interviews, I sent him a list of questions to answer and he agreed to be my first spotlight focus.
As some background, I met this accountant on Twitter a few years ago and we’ve become friends over this time on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, with messages going back and forth on each platform.
1. Please tell us your age, gender, and whether you are LGBTQ+ or an ally.
Answer: I am a 31 year old male in the LGBTQ community
2. Please tell us how you got into accounting and how long you’ve been in the accounting profession.
Answer: I started at a local public accounting firm at 19 as an intern. I saw an online job posting and emailed my resume; I spent a total of 4.5 years with the firm including while I was in college and after graduation. Must have been fate that I fell into Tax. I have 8 years full time in accounting profession.
3. Without revealing your firm (unless you want to) please tell us about the size of your firm, your position, and the types of clients you work with.
Response: I work at a national firm / Top 10 firm. I work as a tax manager, currently mostly with corporations doing various compliance and provision engagements.
4. Did being LGBTQ ever make you hesitant to enter the accounting field?
Answer: No I never considered a different career because of who I am.
5. If so, did you make adjustments to “fit it”?
Answer: I answered no above but for most of my time in this profession I have made adjustment at work to fit in that is my own internalized homophobia.
6. Have you ever experienced discrimination within your workspace from employers or coworkers?
Answer: I have not
7. Have you ever experienced or witnessed discrimination from clients?
Answer: I have not
8. Do you feel like it’s getting easier for LGBTQ accountants to work in accounting and be out and open about who they are? Do you feel like this is important, or they should just do their job?
Answer: Yes I think it is getting easier, I have some coworkers who are out and proud and it’s lovely to see. I think representation is important and at my firm we have a few people interviewed every year on national coming out day.
9. Does it matter to you whether you have LGBTQ coworkers or clients? If you’re not out, would having these people around make it harder for you to stay in the closet or easier for you to come out of the closet?
Answer: It doesn’t matter to me about having LGBTQ coworkers or clients. I’ve never had a LGBTQ client that I have known about and I see my out coworkers fitting in but that is new for me. I’m used to feeling out of place and I search for common ground with all coworkers to build good relationships. I think seeing our coworkers will make it easier when or if I do decide to come out.
10. Please share anything else that you think is important for other people to know about being LGBTQ in the accounting profession. For example, personal experiences at work or with clients that were either good or bad, where you think the accounting profession is going for LGBTQ accountants etc.
Response: Outside or inside the accounting profession I would like our culture to shift to “coming out” not really existing. I think a truly safe space for individuals would be environments that change the mindset that everyone is straight until you announce to the world you are not.
