As an openly gay man, whilst I appreciate that members of our community all have different experiences, mine has been nothing short of positive.
I believe there is a fine line between perception and reality, and it has always been the perception that I have been ‘scared’ of. The perception that one must be a certain type of person to be a successful lawyer. The perception that one has to be a particular type of ‘man’ to be a successful lawyer. The perception that a gay man cannot be his authentic self to be a successful lawyer. All perceptions which merge to that inner voice, the devil on the shoulder.
I have taught myself to deal with those perceptions, and to accept that it is not the reality and believe me, that took time.
Prior to pursuing a career in law, those perceptions were overwhelming and often held me back from career progression. For example, when applying for roles and looking for opportunities generally, I would always ask myself – is there a place for someone like me there? Today, I can answer that question with a – of course there is, as the reality of my experiences has taught me that being gay is not a barrier, and I will never perceive it to be again.
I am lucky to be able to come to work every day and be my authentic self. At Blake Morgan, we have a brilliant community, and have our own LGBT network, BM Pride. Our network is made up of members of the LGBT community and also allies, which I cannot stress the importance of.
We do great work, and I am very proud of our progress – we continue to grow and have some very exciting stuff planned for Pride Cymru.
Lastly, if anyone reading these words resonate with me – please do not let the perceptions take over. The community has come a long way and even if there is more work to be done, it is important to pause and reflect on the progress that has already been made, which is only a good thing.
Daniel Taylor is an Associate at Blake Morgan LLP.