Now is a time for me to be unusually forthcoming. Not because I’m angry. But because an article I read this week has been haunting me ever since I read it.

First, read the article.

Having to actively project the polar opposite of your stereotype is exhausting. Having to curtail your actions so others will feel safe – don’t be too loud, don’t make eye contact, don’t make sudden movements. It’s like walking around in your own personal cage every day. But I, like so many of my friends and family members, have to do this to be accepted in the “places we frequent”.

Some would say, you don’t have to do that. Be yourself. I am myself. I’m not a menace. I’m not violent. I’m one of the most rule abiding people I know (sometimes to my own detriment). But I’ve been through enough experiences in life to know that what people see isn’t necessarily what’s there.

It feels different this time.

Maybe because I know to continue to progress in my career and in my life, I will have to step out of that cage. I will have to break some of those ‘rules’. And frankly, it’s frightening. This cage has been pretty safe up until now. I guess writing this is the first step.

To be continued …