[LGBTQ] Coming out in secondaries?

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LizzyM said:
Don't use it more than once for a given school. Let there be more to your story than your identity as a gay man.
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^^Very much agree with this. I applied, and did come out in secondaries, but that was because my story to medicine had to do with issues regarding my identity and the access to care I received in my community. If there is no story to go with it, I don't believe it will be as powerful than if you had experiences surrounding this identity that shaped you in some way.
 
I came out in my primary (but in a more subtle way. I wrote I belong to LGBTQ community, but did not specify which one I am). The reason I did it was that almost all of my career so far centered on this. (You can call me.... professional LGBTQ?) OK, kidding. My practice and research have focused on health disparities experienced by LGBTQ population, as well as HIV/AIDS Care. My most meaningful activities are volunteering in a LGBTQ health center and working full-time in a HIV/AIDS care organization. My graduate training is also very.... OK, I won't keep going.

Anyway, it would be very easy to guess that there is a high probability for me to be a part of LGBTQ community personally, given my career trajectory. (But of course, I have many straight colleagues in these two fields. So we shouldn't make much assumption though.... although I do have my personal reasons to get into these fields from the beginning that I want to take care of my community).

So, I second LizzyM, "Let there be more to your story than your identity as a gay man." Let your story leads your narrative, and incorporate your identity as an important part of the story (as a motivation or enlightenment moment).
 
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