This month, Hormoz experienced two things that made him reflect on his own coming-out story, being your authentic self, and how this is reflected in the work that we do.

Every once in a while, several things coincide to remind you of your own experiences. During LGBT History Month, I was reminded of my own coming-out struggles by a few things I recently encountered.

The incredibly moving film, All of Us Strangers brought many memories back. It recalls the period in the 1980s when coming to terms with one’s sexuality was tough because of feared and actual reactions to it and the looming, real and perceived dangers of AIDS. This is when I was going through huge challenges with my sexuality myself. In that period I also lost so many friends to this deadly disease.

The film’s open and frank layers of the often tense and troubled relations between many gay men of a certain age and their parents felt spot on. Even with the cultural differences in what I experienced, it hit me like an emotional typhoon.

All of Us Strangers reflected the ignorance and prejudice of much less tolerant and understanding times extremely well. The lingering emotional damage this continues to inflict, even decades later, to the detriment of many (but by no means all) contemporary relationships involving an older generation of gay men, fully resonated.

For days afterwards, the subtle and unusual structure of the film stayed with me. It acted as a reminder, making me revisit the memories of when I made peace with myself..

Soon after I saw the film, my friend Ian Carmichael, one part of the recently formed duo, Montjuic, let me know about a song and video that they had just released. 

I was immediately impressed by the relatable lyrics and the video that reinforced what a powerful message the song has for so many.  This message is not just for LGBT+ people, but for many others from marginalised groups who are made to feel ashamed of who they are by being outsiders to the ‘norm’.

These were all personal reminders, and I was struck by how much they also related to me in my professional life, where being my authentic self was a big challenge.

And so this takes me to our work at Result. We work to enhance individuals’ self-awareness, confidence, and sense of identity. 

Marginalised people we coach, and have workshops with, often talk about their lives in which they feel oppressed, bullied and isolated. I felt these things for years about being a gay man, and I'm certain this contributed to my mental health challenges. 

We have recently started a programme with high-achieving disabled leaders and their feelings are very similar. Several talk about how their work culture and earlier personal experiences have resulted in wanting to fit in at a high cost to themselves: not wanting to be nuisances by asking for adjustments, or feeling that they can’t be themselves, so they censor who they are.

This is why we feel our work is important. Several have felt that our programmes are transformational. This is exactly what keeps us going and why we want to reach as many people as possible. Can you help us to do this even more?

If you feel that you or your organisation would benefit from coaching or a programme of workshops and coaching contact us.

We are what we do and we love what we do.