Ten years ago this blog post may have been way different. As an openly gay engineer in 2024 I can proudly say no one cares. People treat me with the same respect as every other person in the workspace. Nevertheless, this has been something I've thought quite a bit and wanted to share why this blog post being boring is so important to society.

There is something to say for things that no one cares about. Let's take Formula one as an example. The 2021 season of F1 was one of the most exciting seasons in history as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen battled for the world championship week after week. I was hooked all the way through a very controversial and drama filled last race. However, 2022 and 2023 were very different seasons. Verstappen handily won both world championships, winning a stunning 19/22 races in 2023. I found myself not tuning into races, with the outcome all but predetermined. As my interest in F1 waned, I noticed that Verstappen made success so assured to the point of boredom.

I think what truly defines success is what people don't talk about rather than what they do. When anything becomes routinely successful there is simply no reason to pay attention. Air travel has seen a similar interest downfall to Verstappen. 100 years ago, every plane trip was a news story. Today there will be around 90,000 commercial airline flights on planes that are far more complex than a century ago, and no one will bat an eye.

Now that being gay is so widely accepted it is boring. Sure everyone's experience is different, but in the workplace I haven't personally felt discrimination. Being gay is not a thing people care about in 2024. This to me is the ultimate mark of social progress. My blog post about being a gay engineer truly is mundane, so let's be thankful for how far we have come.