I love my new job- it’s worthy, fun and interesting. But for some reason, working for a gay rights charity automatically means I must be gay. On singing the praises of my workplace to my mother, her thoughts lay not with the pension plan or the salary. Instead she anxiously queried: “You’re not going to become a lesbian are you?”

 
My partner’s family, my friend’s parents and other acquaintances all have similar questions regarding my sexuality, simply because of the career choice I have made.

What I think this demonstrates is ignorance along the same lines as the idea that a man cannot work for a feminist organisation, or a white person cannot be against racism. It also shows that gay rights is still viewed as a niche issue, only cared about by certain ‘types’ of people, and lost against more high profile equality campaigns.

 
I would like to think that the job I do is much more important, and far more interesting, than my sexual orientation.