My name is Phoebe and I work as a Resource Planner for our Repairs and Investment Delivery team. I started my journey with Yorkshire Housing in the Customer Experience Centre in July 2019. June is LGBTQ+ Pride month so I want to share my experience from a personal and professional perspective as a lesbian. I was brought up with a very open-minded, loving and caring family. My friends were all outgoing, loud and fun and we were all so supportive of each other but I was still so worried to come out to them all.
Growing up, I was always shy and quiet and I used to love playing football and hanging around with the lads. I enjoyed being carefree, but something still didn't feel right. I was 15 when I came out as a lesbian. I was in a school environment with all of my friends, and I was worried they would judge me and act differently toward me. The first person I felt close enough to tell was my sister. I was at an Ed Sheeran gig and the first thing she did was hug me and it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I had the best support from my mum and family who loved me, for me. Speaking to my friends took a couple of months but none of them felt any differently towards me.
I made so many new friends in the LGBTQ+ community and I have changed a lot throughout the last 10 years but I can now say that I am the person I wanted to be. It's very hard when many people try to say 'it's only a phase' or 'you'll grow out of it'. It has not been easy. I have had to watch other people's friends and parents struggle with knowing that their children are gay.
It becomes hard when you find a person you connect with but still don't feel comfortable walking down the street holding hands as you're scared that people are going to shout things at you. I read lots of articles about LGBTQ+ rights in different countries and it upsets me to think if I was to go on holiday I would have to check if they are against the LGBTQ community. I am a very open-minded person and believe that everyone should be able to love who they want. I am very fortunate that I can visit places like Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds and I'm able to walk into a bar with my partner and feel comfortable.
When I joined Yorkshire Housing back in 2019 I knew a lot about the business as I knew a few people who had worked for the company for many years. I was always nervous to start a new job and being a lesbian I still felt like I would get judged for being different or just because I may not wear skirts or dresses. From my first day at Yorkshire Housing, I was never judged or asked questions - they accepted me for who I was. I have worked for previous companies and kept a lot of my personal life at the door because they were not accepting of the LGBTQ+ community.
Yorkshire Housing has its values and they all align with supporting the LGBTQ+ community. I want people to know that it's an open community and nobody will ever judge you or think differently of you. We all stand together and are here to support one another.