To conclude #Pride Month, our employees share their personal coming out stories and talk about how Quaker Houghton has inspired and empowered them to bring their true selves to work every day. Lindsey Key, Manager of Creative Design and Multimedia: “I have only semi-recently come out publicly as a transwoman. This has been a major milestone for me and has brought so much love and joy back to my life. Once I came out publicly in my personal life, I decided it was time to come out publicly at work. As many who identify as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community know all too well, coming out at work comes with a lot of pressure, especially if you are one of the first, which I was at the time. I was nervous for many reasons: external stereotypes, my personal concerns about whether the company was ready, how I would be received and so on. But I did what I do in so many other parts of my life: I drove forward and figured things out. First, I came out to my close work friends, then my team, and finally the company at large. I am the Manager of Creative Design and Multimedia at Quaker Houghton – a very global role – so that made me nervous. But having the acceptance of my friends, team, and colleagues gave me the confidence to be my whole self at work. As I was one of the first to come out publicly as trans at the company, there were a lot of procedures to develop, but we worked through that and hopefully I’ve blazed a trail for anyone who comes out at Quaker Houghton in the future.”
Kudos Lindsey on sharing this great post. We are very lucky to have you on the team!
Thank you for sharing your story Lindsey! Your story is amazing and inspiring too!! 💪🏽🙌🏽👏🏼🥰
Lindsey Key you are AMAZING!!!! 👏👏👏
So brave!!! Thank you for sharing Lindsey 🙌
Thanks Lindsey for sharing your story! You are a Rockstar 😃
Field technician at Quaker Houghton Osceola
3wMy youngest child “came out” recently as being transwomen, and the same fears/concerns kept her back for a long time too. Especially being in the south, but she too pushed for her true self. Glad you made that same choice, always be true to yourself.