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The Reddit post, unfortunately, is not about being black in tech, but about being black a man that is gay and feminine. It’s a very different experience from be

The Reddit post, unfortunately, is not about being black in tech, but about being black a man that is gay and feminine. It’s a very different experience from being merely black in tech. I read the whole post, initially because of the title, looking to connect with what he says. Except for the fact that being black in tech means you have to endure the black in tech trope, I couldn’t find anything that resonates with my personal experience. However, I do have the experience of a straight black man in a group of the same ostracizing a feminine black man in a small town; including the church ostracism. It sounds brutal from the other side. I’ve read and written about what it’s like to be black in tech, and this doesn’t represent that experience.

Mountain_Skies 5y ago
I'm struggling to think of an industry where he would find others similar to himself but am coming up with nothing. It's a difficult combination of attributes to find others in numbers. I do have a friend who is similar to the author but he works in appealing medical claim denials instead of in tech. He seems very happy in his job and though I don't know for sure, I suspect that he's not surrounded by co-workers similar to himself. The difference might be that he gets lots of socialization outside of work due to having a very gregarious personality so maybe the lack of similar people at the office isn't noticeable to him in the same way it is for someone who needs to find some social connection at their job. Unfortunately telling someone to be gregarious isn't a realistic solution though perhaps trying to find more connection outside of work would be beneficial. Many of the problems the author listed aren't directly social in nature but likely would be more tolerable with a stronger social network outside of work.
sonotathrowaway 5y ago
> Except for the fact that being black in tech means you have to endure the black in tech trope, I couldn’t find anything that resonates with my personal experience. Really? Having teachers accuse me of cheating sounded very familiar.

Mountain_Skies 5y ago

I'm struggling to think of an industry where he would find others similar to himself but am coming up with nothing. It's a difficult combination of attributes to find others in numbers. I do have a friend who is similar to the author but he works in appealing medical claim denials instead of in tech. He seems very happy in his job and though I don't know for sure, I suspect that he's not surrounded by co-workers similar to himself. The difference might be that he gets lots of socialization outside of work due to having a very gregarious personality so maybe the lack of similar people at the office isn't noticeable to him in the same way it is for someone who needs to find some social connection at their job. Unfortunately telling someone to be gregarious isn't a realistic solution though perhaps trying to find more connection outside of work would be beneficial. Many of the problems the author listed aren't directly social in nature but likely would be more tolerable with a stronger social network outside of work.

sonotathrowaway 5y ago

> Except for the fact that being black in tech means you have to endure the black in tech trope, I couldn’t find anything that resonates with my personal experience. Really? Having teachers accuse me of cheating sounded very familiar.