Out in Insurance: Celebrating Pride Month

For me, becoming a proud gay man was hard won and coming out in my professional life was an equally arduous journey. Not so long ago, I wouldn’t have written this essay celebrating Pride Month and shared it publicly.

During the formative years of my life and career, I pushed my authentic self deep from my conscious awareness. In my early twenties, I married a Bermudian woman, and we had two children, Liam (19) and Grace (17). I consider myself privileged to be their father; they’re remarkable kids. I set about building my career in Bermuda’s burgeoning re/insurance industry in the early 2000’s. Across cubicles, I’d overhear passing comments by colleagues questioning my sexuality. I tried to outrun the speculation and threw myself into my work, trying to pursue professional success as a deflection.