In the time since, Ive learned that millions of people whove never met me hate me.
They despise me for existing.
They think I should go away, shut up, and stop being who I am.
Thats not something I experienced before I came out.
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Think of it like a joke.
Researchers believe theyve managed to quantify all of the information in the known universe.
I would absolutely love to spend the next 800-1200 words telling you about the potential implications for this research.
But Im tired… Im exhausted.
Its barely lunch and I feel like Ive been through the ringer.
A certain streaming company is currently involved in a kerfuffle around a popular entertainer and an employee protest.
Im not here to talk about that.
But I cant avoid it!
Its on every news aggregator.
Its all over the most popular internet forums.
My entire social media feed is full of commentary on queerness right now and it all sucks.
Im not personally bothered by what a comedian says about queer people.
What bothers me is knowing that trans women in 2021 are among the most at-risk groups inUS history.
Theyre killed at a higher rate than any other identity group with 350knownmurdersin just 2020 alone.
Thank you for your service, but I disagree with your lifestyle.
I dont want to deal with any of that.
But Im forced to.
I have to reckon with the fact that Im incredibly privileged.
My employer wont fire me for this article.
But, damn it, I wanted to write about something I love today.
I wanted to share my exuberance for physics and this amazing universe we all call home.
Yet here we are.
I cant just keep my head down and do my job.
I can either hide my existence or be a target.
Its the closet or the grinder.
They comment on my work when it has nothing to do with queer issues.
I get emails and DMs condemning me for queer ideas Ive never espoused.
They dont care what I have to say.
Im just another member of the Alphabet People with a rainbow flag and a check mark on Twitter.
I get paid the same whether I fight this fight or avoid it.
I know what it means to make these choices.
And Im not even a queer journalist or a queer activist.
Im just a regular tech journo who happens to be queer.
Theyre immersed in it.
Days like today its nearly impossible to do my job without compartmentalizing.
And nobody gives you an extra break or compensates you.
By being better than them.
Im supposed to work twice as hard as them under circumstances that would make most of them crumble.
Why so many quit and leave the fields they trained for.
Luckily theres a simple solution.
Pay us for that work.
Compensate us for the extra taxes we endure just by existing.
Recognize that queer people wade through a river of bullshit just to get through the door every single day.
Its time for big tech to put its money where its mouth is.
Thanks but no thanks.
