Being out at work can be a big boost for your professional success. Meet four women who can tell you how it works for them.
Jacquetta Brooks moved to D.C. from North Carolina with her former girlfriend so they could both attend graduate school. She earned her Masters in Social Work, crossed her fingers, and repeated, “God, just give me a good gay job.” She currently works for the Mautner Project, which joined forces with Whitman-Walker Health in June. Jacquetta urges anyone to call with health care questions, and if she doesn’t know the answer, she’ll find it. When it comes to women’s health, Jacquetta says, “There should be an openness, a dialogue, and a visibility.” Jacquetta states that to be healthy overall, we must be aware: “Know your risk factors and know your family history.” She invites younger women especially to use the services of Mautner Project of Whitman-Walker Health for preventive care. On a happy note, Jacquetta’s former girlfriend is now her wife.
Jonna Wooten volunteered for and sponsored the Mautner Project as one of several LGBTQ initiatives she’s been involved with. Wooten is a State Farm agent who describes being out at work as a plus for her professional image: “I have found that my sexuality has never been an issue with those I work with or my clients. I don’t hide who I am. The team of agents that work for me respect that I am honest about my lifestyle.” Wooten says that, “being a successful professional woman sets a positive example for the [LGBTQ] community and for those who may seek to judge. It’s given me an opportunity to be a role model for some of the young adults that are my clients, especially those struggling with issues with parents, family members, or friends.”
Kim Rosenberg and her business partner Meghann Novinskie both worked for a heterosexual matchmaking agency before they launched Mixology: Matchmaking with a Twist for the LGBT community. Novinskie describes it as, “an offline LGBT matchmaking agency.” Rosenberg works for herself and enjoys “providing…employees the opportunity and environment…to be themselves in the workplace. It’s important to create a work environment that your employees will want to come to.” Being out professionally and providing a service to LGBT clientele is incredibly rewarding for the business partners. Novinskie adds, “Supporting LGBT singles from all over the country in knowing that they too can seek and effectively establish a long-term relationship—just like their hetero peers—is an amazing feeling I experience, and something I am enormously proud to be a part of.”
