Dan has been part of the green family for more than 20 years, but it was a sliding doors moment that brought him to the ambulance service all those years ago. He said, “In 2000, I joined Greater Manchester Ambulance Service (GMAS) having previously worked as a nursing auxiliary for three years. I lived in Warwickshire and was due to commence nurse training in February of that year, but I’d also enquired previously about opportunities at GMAS because I was under 21 and GMAS were one of only a few services that didn’t set a minimum age. Just as I was about to start nursing, GMAS contacted me to say they were recruiting. I applied and that’s it really, I am here because GMAS didn’t mind a youngster joining their service.”

Unlike some of our other LGBT+ colleagues, Dan wasn’t ‘out’ when he joined the ambulance service, but that’s not because he wanted to hide it. He told us, “I wasn’t ‘out’ when I started, but the reason is complex. Reflecting now, I really didn’t know myself and was not clear about my sexuality, so it’s not really possible to come out of a closet that I wasn’t aware I was in! I wasn’t hiding feelings, or worried about coming ‘out’, I was simply ignorant with a total lack of self-awareness.”

When Dan did come out, he realised it was his own emotions holding him back. He said, “Telling colleagues wasn’t the barrier, my own feelings were. Once I began to understand me, it wasn’t really that long until I confided in a select group of colleagues, who had also become good friends. Complete openness in the workplace did take a little longer and I achieved it through confiding in people I knew would talk! That’s not a criticism of them, they are good people but in life there are people who can be trusted with a secret and those who can’t. I knew that by telling certain individuals, my ‘news’ would soon enough be common knowledge. It worked, no big announcements, no parade, I took control of my own coming out through carefully confiding in those I could trust and then those I knew I couldn’t.”

Although Dan’s coming ‘out’ experience was mostly positive, he does recall one negative incident. He explained, “I did face an individual who was, frankly, a bully. At the time it felt homophobic, but time heals, and I wonder now if actually he liked to strike the Achilles heel of anyone he didn’t like. But he would make comments, use terms that are clearly offensive and generally make station unwelcoming for me. He was smart, he would not do it when others were around. I didn’t report it, I felt at the time that I was resilient enough to withstand his behaviour. I ignored it, didn’t react and let him be who he wanted to be. Eventually, he seemed to be bored by my failure to react and stopped. This is a huge regret for me. Whilst I was personally resilient, I know now that I was not the only one who he was attacking in this way and sadly they were not as resilient as me. His behaviour impacted a number of colleagues and we must always call out behaviours that aren’t within the values and expectations of the trust. If for nothing else than to ensure that all our colleagues feel safe in the workplace.”

Dan believes NWAS, and the NHS, is a safer space than many workplaces and that we are a supportive and inclusive employer, but there is always room for improvement. He said, “NWAS has definitely moved forward, thanks mainly to a number of individuals, some of whom are still working in NWAS, who have championed equality, flown the flag with pride and worked to combat workplace intolerance. Personally, I cannot thank the people at NWAS enough for the support, love and acceptance I have received over the years. We’re not there yet though, and as we continue to mature as an organisation, at every step, we have to pause and think about inclusivity. Work should always feel safe, and whilst I know what I needed, we are all unique so we need to be able to really listen to people’s views, experiences, barriers and move with our colleagues to make work comfortable. The staff networks are a great place for people to be able to share those stories and needs, but we should all be aware that society can feel overwhelmingly unsafe for many members of our work community, so we need to work hard to ensure the workplace is extra comfortable for them.”