_"You almost feel like you've got to be proving it"

Early Life and Discovering Herself

Paula grew up in a small town in the Midlands and knew from an early age that she was gay. While she confided in her best friend during her school years, she didn’t feel comfortable coming out, as the LGBTQ+ community was hidden from view. Lacking role models to look up to, Paula had to find her own path and seek out a support network.

“It was very clear to me from a very early age that this wasn’t represented in the household that I grew up in. So that was very clear…there was no kind of support.”

Moving to London

Paula took her first steps into the LGBTQ+ community at university, but it wasn't until she moved to London that she truly began to feel comfortable. She found a new world opening up and started to feel more at ease within herself, surrounded by friends who were part of the community.

“It was at that point where I felt comfortable enough and I had friends that were gay and out. I had a brilliant network in London, back in the early 90s.”

Coming Out to Her Family

Despite her network in London, Paula had not yet come out to her family and felt the constant need to prove it to others.

“By this time, I've now got the lifestyle sort of backing me up. I'm walking the walk. I suppose you've still got your small town sitting on your shoulder to a certain extent. You almost feel like you've got to be proving it.”

Paula knew her older sister would be supportive, having always had a great relationship and indirectly supporting her journey. However, coming out to her family led to a few years of no communication in her mid-twenties. It wasn't until a friend of her mother intervened that their relationship began to mend.

Knight Frank & PRIDE

Reflecting on her time at Knight Frank, Paula emphasises the importance of creating an environment where everyone feels comfortable and supported.

“You spend such a long time at work and being able to be open and not have that fear that you don't have a place is important, because if you're working hard for an organisation you want to subscribe to something because you feel something for it. If you work somewhere that's not supporting you, it's difficult to subscribe to it 100%.”

Paula encourages people to be their authentic selves at work and praises Knight Frank for fostering a supportive culture.

“We've got a really good DE&I function and Knight Out is definitely worth getting involved with in whatever capacity you want to… You can be yourself, as open as you want to be but there are also people you can reach out to and networks to belong to if you're not comfortable with anything at work or life in general.”

Knight Frank is partnered with the organisation Stonewall, and you can also contact Switchboard as a resource if you need someone to talk to and listen. If you need support, please use their resources:

·        Stonewall: www.stonewall.org.uk

·        Switchboard: 0800 0119 100