Like many people, university gave me the opportunity to come out and to discuss sexual orientation in a safe, supportive yet intellectually challenging environment. This was many years ago and I was one of the first out LGBT Students’ Union Presidents. It therefore came as a shock to go into teaching and have to stay in the professional closet for 15 years, at that time there was no anti-discrimination legislation . I moved into university careers work and vowed never to hide my sexuality again. The work I do now is fuelled by those experiences, but also by the realisation that even now, many students and staff still go out of their way to hide their sexuality.
I taught in secondary schools before moving to the University of Bristol as a careers advisor and then Director of Careers at Birmingham and Warwick universities. During that time I wrote the introduction to Stonewall’s Starting Out Careers Guide. I started my own LGBT consultancy business in 2011 when I set up the first employability mentoring scheme for LGBT students at the University of Birmingham where I have also been a consultant on their LGBT Inclusive Curriculum Project. I also helped set up the University’s first LGBTQ+ Allies scheme and went on to run workshop which were compulsory for those displaying the Allies lanyard – in four years I trained over 400 staff. I am a founding member and Advisor for the LGBT Network of Networks for LGBTQ+ staff in UK universities.
I’m passionate about my adopted city, Birmingham, of 20 years. I chaired the Midlands LGBT Employee Network for four years which later became the Alliance Network. In 2024 I was invited to join two advisory groups: the Council’s Proud City Rainbow Partnership and the Crown Prosecution Service’s Hate Crime Panel.
For further details of the work I’ve done, scroll through my News pages.
Costs: My fees are negotiable depending entirely on what I do (preparation, travel, length of session/project). I work on a not-for-profit basis, which means I use my paid work to subsidise LGBT pro-bono and charity work for individuals and small organisations who have little or no resources. Always ask!
I am also a qualified Executive Coach working with senior managers in HE. Clients have included Heads of Academic Departments and Faculties, Director of Research, Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellors and previous clients have gone on to apply for and become Vice Chancellors.
I occasionally mentor LGBTQ+ people, primarily students, recent graduates and aspiring leaders.
A full CV can be found on my LinkedIn profile.
Contact me via sean@getoutstayout.org.uk