Andy Stumpf

I understand why they may have necessarily been hesitant, but I can only speak for myself.

I don't know how other people would have reacted.

I don't give a shit.

If you meet the standard and I can rely on you and you perform, I could care less.

There are plenty of

of heterosexual service members whose personal lives are an absolute nightmare that have negative consequences to their professional life.

It is not as if sexual orientation determines trajectory in the military.

It can completely derail it, but I could give you chapter and verse

Of examples where, you know, we're only a you know, we can only have heterosexual people doing this job.

And I'm like, OK, this particular individual over here is on their third marriage.

Every trip that we're on on the road, they're banging just about everything that they can get their hands on.

They're an absolute nightmare.

The issues with their spouse and children are spilling over into the work environment because the spouse is calling the command all the way up to the commanding officer.

And oh, by the way, I'm combining a few people in my head and of course I'm not going to name them.

Every single one of these things that I've talked about is 100% true and I've seen it happen.

So my advice to them would actually be the same thing, but like, hey, maybe focus on the things that are going to make you good at this job and lead with that identity.

And that and again, that's that's the advice that I would give you.

I don't think anybody is going to really care.

especially if you are crushing your job, because that's actually what matters.

Just leave it as a secondary identity, which sounds like you've already done anyway on your current job, treat it exactly the same way.