• Media Coverage
• 15 Aug 2018, News 18

Keep The Rainbow Out Of The Corporate: The LGBT Community is Desperately Seeking Freedom At Workplace

The bubblegum pink hair makes everyone take a second glance at 24-year-old Armaan Singh*. “They were a nice shade of dark brown a year ago,” he smiles and takes another sip from his second serving of Kiwi Margarita. People continue to stare and occasionally give a mocking smile while looking at Armaan but he says he is used to the attention. “People are always ready to put you down if you stand out; if you’re different.”

Armaan was 15 years old when he came out as gay to his parents. “It was just one of those things I never wanted to hide. Jo hai so hai, yaar (It is what it is).”

While Armaan’s parents and friends are very accepting of his sexuality, “as they should be,” Armaan adds, in 2015 his male colleagues at work welcomed him with ‘inspiringly tasteless’ comments like, “Tu yahaan kaam kaise karta hai? Tera toh pura time khada rehta hoga humko dekhke. (How do you work here? You must be erect the entire time from watching us.)”

Armaan decided to leave a month later after four of his colleagues cornered him in the washroom. “I went there to pee and they came and stood right behind my cubicle. They didn’t do anything but smiled - a smile I’ll never forget. I knew it then that I couldn’t work there. I didn’t want to know what more could happen. I didn’t even want to think about it. I called in sick the next day and a day later I gave my resignation and I was out.”

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