I started as a legal assistant at Freeths exactly one year ago. Since then, I have achieved two of my greatest goals of securing a training contract with the firm and becoming involved in the firm’s LGBTQ+ network, SHINE.
At the age of 14, I declared to my parents that I would be moving abroad as soon as I finished school. At the time, I was not certain as to where I would be going, or what I would be doing. However, I was confident in my decision to leave my home country of Greece shortly after turning 18. And so, I did.
At the time, my decision was seemingly influenced by Greece’s dire financial situation as well as the widespread racism that threatened to obstruct my professional goals. I am originally Albanian, and while I had not decided on what career I wanted to pursue at the time, I knew that I had never had any interactions with psychologists, economists, journalists or lawyers with whom I shared a similar background.
The truth is, while I knew my ethnicity would create additional difficulties for me, I never thought of it as an insuperable barrier to my career aspirations. From an early age, I realised everyone faces their own challenges when it comes to societal acceptance and professional development, and my ethnicity was one of the challenges I would have to face. I learned how to handle certain remarks, behaviours and backhanded compliments, emerging stronger in the process.
Quite frankly, my decision to move away primarily came as a result of acknowledging my sexual orientation. At the age of 14, I realised that being foreign wasn’t the only characteristic that set me apart from my peers. And unlike my ethnicity, where I could seek advice and discuss my concerns with my family and close friends, when it came to this hidden challenge, I did not have much of a support system to rely on. The concept of being LGBTQ+ was not fully understood by most of my family, and not well-perceived amongst my peers. Consequently, like many young LGBTQ+ individuals raised in homophobic environments, I kept this aspect of my identity hidden, until I would no longer have to.
The environment I was brought up in made me very good at hiding this aspect of myself. I felt comfortable engaging in conversations concerning LBGTQ+ issues, solely from a third person point of view. Around the age of 17, I felt confident at presenting myself as an ally of the community and speaking about the issues and difficulties “they” were facing. In my community, merely declaring your support for the LGBTQ+ community often results in others questioning your sexual identity. On the odd occasion certain implications were made, I was able to calmly and confidently dismiss any “jokes”, quoting my empathy as the source of my support for the community. Strangely enough, I felt a sense of pride for how good I was at hiding.
Over the past five years, my life has undergone significant changes, a notable one being my openness about being LGBTQ+.
Embracing this part of my identity has led to me no longer perceiving being LGBTQ+ as a ‘weakness’. This was not an easy task, and I am grateful for all the support I have received so far. I have managed to surround myself with individuals who accept me for who I am and constantly challenge me to overcome any internalised homophobia that has built up in me throughout the years.
I now understand that my sexual orientation has pushed me to work hard and achieve many significant goals; it has influenced, and in some way shaped, my understanding of what I consider important. I now understand that my LGBTQ+ identity is integral to the person I am today.
“If there is one thing my upbringing has taught me it is that everyone needs, and is entitled to, respect. One does not have to fully understand or agree with the way LGBTQ+ individuals express their identities. On the contrary, respect is about accepting and treating others as one would want to be treated, regardless of one’s personal beliefs and opinions. I’m lucky to have friends and colleagues who share that viewpoint.
Ornanto Mecaj is a legal assistant at Freeths
