Editor’s Note: Important personal revelations.
“I did not realize I was gay until halfway through my training program. For the rest of my training and the first half of my career, I put considerable energy into hiding who I was. The current generation can’t fathom not being out. I wish I had come out earlier.”
We work hard during our training and careers. The work and the commitment have an impact on our lives as a whole. Sometimes we lose our internal compass which points us to who we are, what we want, and what fulfills us, etc. When we finally have time to figure it out, we realize that we have sacrificed time, joy, fun, and perhaps even becoming the best physician we can be.
After not having had the support of my residency program, I was taken by surprise at a prestigious professional meeting when one of my residency program attendings patted me on the back and gave me a warm greeting. A female colleague who was standing next to me swung her head around and said, “isn’t it nice that they want to claim you as a protegee once you have become well known and respected?” She had shared the same experience.