Manager seeks advice after his straight co-workers ask to attend Pride with him
AskGayBrosOver30 subreddit with a dilemma: His straight co-workers have asked if they can accompany him to the parade.But these aren’t just regular colleagues—he says he’s their boss, “which makes the situation more uncomfortable.”“I usually separate my work life from my personal life… as I work in a traditional industry (pharma),” he explained.“Me and my hubby do go clubbing sometimes and visit bathhouses and darkrooms together… we usually go to pride with our gay friends… and me and my friends like to dress somehow a little ‘sexy/slutty‘ for pride (see-through shirts or shirtless, harnesses, jockstraps, thongs, leather gear, angel wings and so on),” he continued.“Sometimes hubby and I would go to a gay bathhouse directly after pride and/or in the evening to parties around town with friends where we would visit the darkroom.
My straight coworkers are quite chill…. But these are things that I do not want to be known at work. I cannot forbid them to go to pride… how should I deal with this?”How would you feel if a sibling asked your spouse to step away from a family photo featuring other in-laws?The question prompted many responses and fueled debate about straight people in queer spaces.
Everyone appreciates allies, but most of us don’t always want straight people around when we want to let our hair down… or wear our “slutty” pride wear.“You either plan some G-rated fun to have with your coworkers (with a definitive end time, so you can go have fun) or tell them that you, as their boss, prefer to separate your work life from your personal life,” was one well-liked comment. “If they go to Pride without you and run into you in the street, there’s not much you can do about it.
